Parallel Dimensions
by JimmyTheJacket
Summary: Mack, Brady and their new friends Robin, Sydney and Ryan receive a surprise visit from the Wet Side Story gang. But how to get them home? Can they afford for them to stay? Where will they sleep? One simple solution somehow gets them involved in the mysteries of Gravity Falls. Will any of the secrets hidden in this strange town somehow explain the weirdness of that summer?
1. Chapter 1

**This story is a sequel to a fanfiction I'll probably never upload, since it's pretty much boring. But please read this short description of the events from it, because if you don't you might not understand this story. **

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The story goes same as in the original Teen Beach Movie, except three friends join in by accident- Robin and Ryan, sisters (yes, they're girls), spend their summer in the same town as Mack and Brady with their best friend Sydney. When they find themselves in the movie, everything is pretty much as it is in TBM, but when Lela sings Falling For Ya, an even bigger mess happens. Robin bumps into Tanner, Sydney into Rascal, Mack into Seacat while Brady is too late to help Lela. Instead, she is just caught by her brother and now has no romantic interest. Ryan, on the other hand has always had a crush on Butchy and wants to get his attention, but knows she's failed when she finds herself in Lugnut's arms. In the end, they manage to get things back to the way they were… almost. Even though there is no doubt in Lela and Tanner's relationship, Seacat is head over heels in love with Giggles and even Butchy finally realizes he likes Ryan… Rascal and Lugnut aren't quite happy with the 'happy ending'. Nevertheless, the group has to part and the real-life crew successfully arrives home. Also, Robin is now the one who gets Lela's necklace and even Tanner's gift- the flower band

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The summer of 2017 was surely the weirdest summer yet, according to Brady, Mack, Sydney, Robin and Ryan. They were stuck in a 1960s musical and almost stayed there forever- but, luckily, returned home in the end. After that, their lives went back to normal- Mack and Brady surfed all day; Ryan, Robin and Sydney relaxed in their holiday apartments and visited the beach often. They still had plenty of time to enjoy their summer holiday. The events from Wet Side Story seemed less real now, but it all changed one evening.

Mack's P.O.V.

I was completely exhausted when Brady and I returned home after almost ten hours of non-stop surfing at the beach. I wanted him to go home, but he had a different idea for this evening. "Come on, Mack! Wouldn't you rather watch Wet Side Story with me?" he insisted. I sat on the couch. "But we already watched it yesterday! Twice!" I objected. "But every time I watch it, it reminds me of the time when we were actually there!" he kept on convincing me and grabbed the DVD. "I sometimes wonder, was it even true? Maybe it was just a crazy dream after all," I replied. "Does it sound possible that you and I both had the exact same dream at the exact same time? Plus, you can always ask Sydney, Robin and Ryan," he said and sat down. "Are they even here or did they leave?" I changed the topic of the conversation. "See, this is what you get for not checking your facebook account!" Brady said and started playing the movie. "I told you we had a bad internet connection!" I replied angrily. "Well, they're still here. Now be quiet, the movie's started!" he said quickly. "_Blue sky, gentle breeze, what a day!" _he started singing along with the surfers. After a few moments he even jumped of the couch and started dancing. I decided to take a nap. He didn't even notice. After some time (I don't even know how much) something woke me up. I realized someone was ringing the doorbell and also that the movie was almost ending. Brady didn't seem to hear anything over the loud music, so I quickly ran to the door. I opened it carefully and slammed it less than a second later. "Brady!" I exclaimed. "Huh?" Brady turned around, looking confused. "Turn off the TV!" I told him. He remained confused. "NOW!" I repeated and this time he obeyed, even though he clearly didn't want to. I opened the door again and this time, the person standing behind it was looking at me with the same confused look as I was at her. "Mack?" a familiar voice asked. A blonde girl in a pink fringed bikini stood in front of me. I wasn't sure the first time I saw her, but I was now. "Giggles?" I asked. Instead of saying anything, she hugged me. She was completely wet, which I wasn't used to. The characters in Wet Side Story NEVER get wet from swimming in the ocean. The question was, why wasn't she there? "What are you doing here?" I asked, shocked. "Honestly, I have no idea!" she giggled. "Come in," I invited her inside. Brady fell off the couch after seeing her. "Mack, isn't this your friend?" she asked, pointing at him. "Boyfriend, actually," I explained. "I don't think you had the opportunity to meet him when we were… visiting," I added. Brady awkwardly waddled over. He looked at Giggles, then at me, then back at Giggles, then at me. She just waved cheerfully. "Hi… Giggles. I'm Brady," he introduced himself. "Hello, Brady!" she said, shaking her hips. The fringe on her bikini swung wistfully. "I hate it when that happens!" she exclaimed angrily. "Actually, this is the first time this happened. Why is this happening to me?" she asked desperately. "Because… because the water is wetter here!" Brady lied. "Ooh… " Giggles totally bought it. "Well, Giggles, why don't you sit here, on the couch and explain us everything. I think you understand that you're not home, right?" I said leading Giggles to the couch. "Yes, I understand! I understand," she nodded. "Well, because today was such a beautiful day, we- the surfers- and the bikers decided to go to the beach because we are all friends now! That's really great!" Giggles started explaining happily. "And then?" I asked. "Ah, yes, then. Then Tanner got this really great idea that we should teach the bikers to surf! And Butchy was a bit angry at first and said he wouldn't go swimming like some surfer, but Lela convinced him. So then, me, Lela, Butchy, Tanner, Cheechee and…" Giggles took a break to think about it. "Wait, wait- no Cheechee! We went surfing without Cheechee, she was at Big Momma's then! So, yeah- me, Lela, Butchy, Tanner, Struts, Seacat and… yeah, pretty much no one else, went into the water and tried surfing. Struts was veeeery stubborn, Lela was great, Butchy kept showing off his surfing skills, even though they weren't really that good!" Giggles was babbling about some unimportant details. Her story seemed endless. "And then Lela fell off her surfboard and Tanner was scared so he went after her, because she wasn't very good at swimming! And Butchy joined him, too, because he was scared for his little sister, even though he wouldn't admit that to you. And because Seacat is so brave, he went after his good friend, Tanner- and then I joined him, because I love him very much. Seacat, not Tanner. I mean, I love Tanner, too, but just as a friend. So, anyway, Struts apparently felt really, really lonely, so she tried to help us, too, and then the sea went 'whoosh' and we disappeared!" Giggles finished dramatically. "Could you maybe explain the words '_the sea went whoosh and we all disappeared' _a little further?" I asked carefully. "Well, there was this big wave and it made a 'whoosh' sound and I thought I was going to drown, but it was all good, because my friends and I got out of the sea. But then the weather was all weird, not all blue and pretty like it is at home. And everyone was dressed weird!" she said. "Well, anyway, then there was this REALLY weird looking boy with hair that was shooting up and clothes in most interesting colors and he offered us a box-like thing he called a phone even though it did not look like a phone and you can touch it and then it changes! But we thanked him kindly and walked away, because we're not used to these special phones and then we saw your house, Mack! We thought it was Big Momma's so I said I'll go check if it is. But IT ISN'T!" she said. "Wait, wait- you left Lela, Tanner, Butchy, Seacat and Struts out on the beach?" Brady asked. "Yup," Giggles replied with a happy smile on her face. "Oh, Giggles! They must be freezing in those wet clothes right now!" I said. "Whoops. I didn't mean to, really! But they were a bit scared to come here, because they didn't know what it is!" she apologized. We ran to the beach and saw Lela, Tanner, Butchy, Seacat and Struts looking miserable while sitting on the floor in complete silence. "Giggles! We already thought you're not coming back!" Seacat exclaimed and hugged her. He didn't seem to notice that he had seaweed in his hair. "Hey, look who's here- Mack!" he said and waved. Lela greeted me with a hug. "Oh, you have no idea what strange things we saw today! People were wearing such weird swimsuits and had such weird hair! Really, really strange," she kept repeating. "Where are we?" Struts asked, holding her signature pink heels in her hand. "It's a bit complicated," Brady said. "Let's go to my house, we'll explain everything!" I told them even though I knew perfectly well that there are many things we won't be able to explain. When we got them all in my house, Brady quickly hid the Wet Side Story DVD, while I took the poster off the wall. "Ok, that's done. What now?" Brady asked. "I know! I'll go get Ryan, Robin and Sydney. They have to know about this, too. You bring them some food, watch them. They might break something!" I suggested. Brady nodded and went to the kitchen to make our unusual guests a snack. I quickly put my shoes on and grabbed my jacked since it was getting a little chilly outside. I didn't really know where were Robin, Ryan and Sydney staying, but I could think of some hints that might help me find them. First of all, I knew which way they went after we returned from Wet Side Story. And since they walked home I could also assume they weren't far away. The first five minutes of walking I didn't see any houses, but later I noticed three at the end of the road. I wasn't sure if I was at the right place, so I was too scared to knock on any of the doors. I quickly realized that one of them surely wasn't the one, because all the lights were off. That gave me enough courage to step closer to one of the houses. I still didn't want to knock on the door, so I just stood there for about two minutes. But I was in luck- I saw a familiar face in one of the windows. Robin was waving at me. I waved back. She disappeared then, but showed up at her door quickly after that. "Hey, Mack! I didn't see you for quite some time!" she said. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Looking for you, actually. Well, you, Ryan or Sydney," I replied. "Oh, that's why you were standing in front of her apartment!" she said. "Yes, that's why!" I didn't want to go into details. I figured there's already enough explaining still waiting for me to do, so I avoided any that wasn't necessary. "Do you think that you and your sister could come to my house? It's pretty important," I asked. "Ok. Let me just ask my parents do we have any plans for today. But I doubt we do. We'll meet you here in a few minutes," she said and rushed back into the house. I went to knock on Sydney's door. A woman, which I assumed was her mother, opened the door. "Hello, I'm Mack Fox, Sydney's friends. I mean, we met a week ago. Can I talk to her?" I asked politely. Sydney came to the door quickly and I told her that Brady and I would like to discuss a certain problem with her. "Ryan and I are ready. Are we gonna go now?" Robin, who just got out of the apartment with Ryan, asked. "Hey, Mack!" Ryan said. "Hi!" I replied. Meanwhile, Sydney was apparently having a slight disagreement with her parents. "What is it?" Robin asked. I shrugged. "My parents don't want me to visit you now because it's 'late'!" Sydney was pretty upset. She went back into her house and returned after a couple of minutes. "It's okay, I can go now," she said and we started walking. Our conversation was mainly about meaningless, everyday things which seemed unnatural to me at that point- I knew how shocked they're going to be when we arrive.

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**For all you Gravity Falls fans, I have to dissapoint you and say that it takes a while to actually get to the GF part of the story, but I promise there'll be a lot of the characters when I get to that point. Also, I would appreciate a review if you liked this little chapter (or if you didn't) so I know how to continue writting the story. **


	2. Chapter 2

Ryan's P.O.V.

I felt like Mack's visit was a bit unusual, but it intrigued me as well. I haven't seen her since the time when we first met, and then she just pops up at our door at seven o'clock. What is this even about? It seems it's pretty important, Mack said so herself. At least that's what I heard from my little sis, who tends to exaggerate things. "Ok, now everybody take a deep breath and get ready to get a heart attack, because the situation in here is really quite weird," Mack said before we could step into her house. "Is it really that bad?" Sydney asked. Mack just nodded. "Ok…" Robin said as we looked at each other. I just shrugged. Mack opened the front door, revealing nothing but her living room, crowded with a bunch of people. At first I thought she's gone crazy, but as soon as I got closer to see who those people are, I understood everything. "Robin!" Lela and Tanner exclaimed. Speechless, I stared at my sister hugging the Wet Side Story characters. Yes, the ones I thought I'll never ever see again in my entire life. "Ryan?" a voice coming from the darkest corner of the room said. I was unable to see his face, but it was obviously Butchy. "Butchy, is that you?" I asked and stepped closer to him. Suddenly he jumped out of that corner to hug me. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked then. "We were surfing!" Tanner 'explained' enthusiastically. "Yeah, and then the big wave came!" Lela said, gesturing the wave's motion with her hand. "Whoosh!" Giggles added a sound effect for no apparent reason. Ah, well, that's Giggles! "Where did you leave the others?" Sydney asked, happily noticing that Rascal was nowhere to be seen. "Home. They didn't want to surf. Well, at least Cheechee didn't!" Struts, who was wrapped in a pink blanket, replied. "But we still don't know why are we in the future!" Seacat said, shaking his head, which made him look as he was trying to say: 'not cool, dude'. "Mack, I hope you're not mad, but I kinda explained them the situation," Brady said. "Did you really have to, Brady? I really hope you explained them everything as clearly as possible, so we won't have any problems!" Mack said. "Well, we actually don't know why are you in the future either. We were just as confused when we were transported to the past, a.k.a., your present," I told Seacat. "Now, please don't touch anything that you don't know how to use while we take some time to figure this out, ok?" Mack said, pulling all of us, real life people, into another room that turned out to be her bedroom. "What's going on? How did they get here, isn't the weather in their movie always perfect?" was the first thing she asked. Brady, Robin and I- a.k.a. the Wet Side Story fans- nodded. "Well, except for the day of the big storm, that happens only once in the entire movie," Brady added. "I don't know why, but I think that the movie should've started over after we left. A movie could not possibly go on forever, that's only possible in real life," I explained. "Makes sense," Robin approved. "Maybe we turned it into real life as we arrived!" Sydney exclaimed. "You're right! We arrived, changed just about everything and left. But now, the story could not repeat itself as it always did because we were now in their memories," Mack agreed. "Wow, we've humanized them!" Brady said. "Is that even a word?" Sydney asked. "I don't know, but I like it!" Brady replied. "Well, smart guy, what did you tell them while I was gone?" Mack got back to the subject. "Don't worry! I told them they arrived to the year 2017 and that we actually traveled to the past last week, when we were stuck in year 1962. And they took that pretty good," Brady said proudly. "Wow, seriously? If I found myself in the future I'd probably be running around the apartment and screaming like crazy," Sydney laughed. "Well, they did, but they calmed down eventually," Brady explained, causing Mack to stare at him angrily. "What the hell did you say? Why weren't you more… I don't know! The important question is, did you tell them they're just movie characters?" she whispered the last part. "Of course I didn't, they'd probably faint!" he calmed her down. "Yeah, that wouldn't be good," Robin agreed. "Sooo… What now? Oh, yeah, let's check the weather, we gotta know when is the next storm!" Mack remembered and hopped over to her phone. "I don't know, I mean, we don't have storms THAT often!" Brady was skeptic. "Oh no," Mack moaned. "No, no, no, no! This is bad!" she continued. "It's going to be sunny the whole month! Look at this- sunny all week, a bit of rain and then sun again!" she said pointing to the screen. "We don't know for sure, if they are right! This things are not as precise as you think!" Robin tried to make things easier, but Mack just kept shaking her head. "I doubt it. There was a huge storm a week ago, so there won't be any now," she said. "But does it have to be a storm?" I asked. "No, I don't think I does, but only weather like that can cause those really huge waves and we can't take a risk!" Mack replied, sighing. We were all thinking. "What if we try without the storm?" Brady suggested. "Oh, yes, let's throw them into the ocean and we'll se what happens," Mack rejected his idea. "Maybe they'll get home, maybe they'll drown- who knows!" Sydney added. "Then what are you suggesting? To keep them here until there's a storm? Because our parents and your grandpa surely won't notice anything!" Brady said sarcastically. "What if we split them in small groups and everyone takes a few of them home?" Robin suggested with a smile. "No, Robin, NO! Mum and dad would never agree to that!" I objected immediately. "What are we going to do? Look, grandpa will be home soon and he will not want to see the Wet Side Story cast in his living room!" Mack panicked. "How will he not want THAT? He loves Wet Side Story!" Brady reminded her. "Look, I know we're taking a risk here, because he might get a heart attack, but if we explain everything to him, he'll maybe understand! Plus, it's probably the only thing we can do!" he added. "Fine, we're doing your plan, but I'm telling you, It's not going to end good!" Mack grumbled. "Let's go to the living room now. I just hope they didn't make a huge mess!" Brady said.

Mack's P.O.V.

We entered the living room which looked okay at first, but a second later I noticed a broken vase. "Alright, who broke this?" I asked loudly. Everybody looked at me with fear in their eyes. Giggles and Lela seemed truly confused- like they really didn't know who did it. Tanner looked even more confused, smiling absent-mindedly. Seacat and Struts were just staring at the floor, but just as I wanted to repeat the question, they slowly looked at Butchy. "Butchy, did you do it?" Ryan asked him. "Did you?" she asked again. "Ok, ok! I broke the vase!" he admitted angrily. "He didn't mean to! Vases don't get broken in our time, he couldn't possibly know that changes in the future!" Struts defended him. "Really? Vases don't break-" Brady started, but I managed to stop him by slightly shaking my head. "Wait, you're from the sixties? Right! You had these… unbreakable vases back then! You see, this is because I don't pay attention in class!" Brady's story sounded dreadfully unconvincing to me, but then again, Giggles bought our wetter water lie. "What is class?" Seacat asked. "This 21. century thing, we'll talk about that some other time!" I lied again. At that point someone rang the doorbell. "Hey, I have an idea! Let's all go check out Mack's room now!" Brady improvised, pushing the Wet Side Story characters into my bedroom while I got the door. "Hello, Mack," grandpa greeted cheerfully. He seemed to be in a good mood, which gave me some hope. "Hi, grandpa! How are you? Is it okay if my friends are here?" I asked, replying 'great' after that, not letting him answer my question. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked me after a few moments of silence. "I'm good, I'm good. You?" I asked trying to hide the suspiciousness of the situation. Brady sat on the couch next to us. Ryan, Robin and Sydney jumped to the bedroom door and stood there in incredibly unnatural poses. "Now let's talk about this problem we have," I started. "Didn't you just say that everything was fine?" grandpa asked in confusion. "I know, I lied a little. The thing is, something weird has happened," I explained. "What do you mean by 'something weird'?" he asked. "We'll explain everything. But before we do that I just want to tell you that I am not an alien. Also, you are not dreaming!" I replied. I gave Brady the signal to start. "You know our favorite movie, Wet Side Story?" he asked. Grandpa nodded, showing he had no idea whatsoever, what did that have to do with anything. Brady leaned over to look at me. "Mack, I know you want me to explain this discreetly, but there is no way I can do that. If you find a way, let me know!" and before I even knew it, he turned back to grandpa. "Lela, Tanner, Seacat, Giggles, Butchy and Struts are here!" he said. Grandpa frowned for a moment but started laughing uncontrollably right after. "I really don't have time for your jokes, kids!" he said, still laughing. "But it's true!" I kept convincing him, but he still wouldn't believe me. It was all getting on my last nerve when something truly bad happened- Sydney opened the bedroom door, pulling Lela out of the room. "Mack, who is this man?" she asked. Face-palming my forehead, I leant down, supporting my face with my hands and listening to grandpa saying something like: "This is unbelievable… She looks EXACTLY like Alexandra Gray… Unbelievable!". All I was waiting for was for him to faint or completely loose him mind. "Who is Alexandra Gray?" I heard Lela ask. There was a moment of silence. I lifted my head up to see what's happening. Grandpa looked at Brady who slowly shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing. You just look like someone I know," he said calmly. I took a deep breath then and sent him a thankful look. He took this insane fact almost as if Brady told him that it's going to be sunny tomorrow. The only thing left to do now was to convince him to let our guests stay here, until they can get back home. "Oh, alright," Lela smiled charmingly and looked at us. "Can we come back into the living room now?" she asked me. "Just a minute, Lela. We need to talk about something first," I told her patiently. Lela nodded obediently and returned to my bedroom. Grandpa looked at me and Brady and shook his head. "Let's say I believe you. But I still think it's possible I'm only dreaming!" he told us, making all of us laugh with relief. "What now? Are you going to send them back to the movie?" he asked. "It doesn't work that way," Brady replied. Grandpa looked at him questioningly. "We now this because we have some experience. Do you remember that day, last week, when I was supposed to go to that school with my aunt, but went surfing instead?" I asked. He nodded. "Well, when I fell off my surfboard and disappeared under water with Brady and also these three (Robin, Sydney and Ryan waved), we traveled into some other dimension," I stopped to see if grandpa's still following. "I know, weird!" Brady added. "In that dimension we found the Wet Side Story beach along with all the characters. We lived through all the events from the movie, everything was exactly as we watched it on TV. Until the moment when we changed the plot during Falling For Ya and made a huge mess that almost ruined the entire storyline. Luckily, we fixed that. Otherwise we would be unable to return home," I went on. "Yeah, if Tanner and Lela never meet- which we almost caused to happen- they don't reunite the gangs and destroy the weather machine! Without the weather machine, there is no storm, and without the storm there are no huge waves that brought us there," Brady explained. "And why didn't I hear about that?" grandpa lectured me. "I'm sorry! But you probably wouldn't believe us anyway!" I pointed out. "True. I can hardly believe it now and I even got a living proof for it! So, what are you saying- that it's all repeated?" he asked. "Exactly. The problem is, there won't be any storms here for another month!" I said pointing to my phone. "Mack, this is the weather forecast for the town you were supposed to move to last week!" grandpa discovered. I looked at the screen. "How stupid of me! I forgot to change the settings after I found out I'm staying here!" I realized happily. "Well, looks like mistakes are sometimes a good thing!" grandpa laughed. I fixed the settings and read the new weather forecast with surprise. "Look at this- the next storm is right now! Tonight!" the news made everyone happy. "I thought it looked like there was going to be a storm!" Brady said and went to get the Wet Side Story cast. I heard them cheering happily as he told them the news, too. We all gathered in the living room, where we suddenly all became aware that we will have to say goodbye again. All that happiness was replaced by sorrow now. Grandpa stopped us from getting to sad by suggesting to watch a movie together, while we wait for the storm. We picked Grease, since our 'vintage' friends could relate to it better. Of course, we spent half of the movie explaining the color and sound quality to them, because it was something they weren't used to. But at the end of the movie they were already watching it quite quietly and with interest. "Look, a flying car!" Giggles exclaimed, pointing to Sandy and Danny. "Do you have that in the 21. century, too?" Butchy asked. "No, unfortunately, we don't," Ryan replied. "Shush!" Brady said. Sydney picked the remote control up and pressed 'STOP'. "'You hear that?" he asked. "It's thundering!" Robin exclaimed. "Everybody get up, jump into the ocean!" grandpa said and got up. He got to the window to watch us while we ran out of the house. "Wait for meeee!" Struts called while trying to run in her high heels. In the end, she decided to take the off and leave them on the floor. They got into the water. "There's no time to say goodbye now, just swim!" I told them. That made them sad, but they had to accept it- it was thundering and lightening, the waves were enormous and there was no time to lose or somebody could have gotten hurt. Butchy, Struts, Seacat, Giggles, Lela and Tanner swam into the ocean and disappeared. "Well, that's done," Brady said and we started walking back. "Wait!" Robin's cry made us turn around. She was pointing to a point in the ocean where something was splashing around like crazy. "Somebody's drowning!" I said. "Brady, get a boat!" I said but noticed he already thought of that. We all helped him push the kayak into the water. Brady and I jumped in it and started rowing. We were getting closer to the drowning person and discovered a very familiar hat floating above it. Seacat was waving hise hands, trying to get out of the sea. Brady and I helped him get into the kayak. Seacat was coughing uncontrollably and spitting out water. "Mack, look!" Brady said as he looked behind him. The others were hysterically swimming towards us. We first helped Struts, because she was most likely to drown first. Seacat then jumped out of the boat to help Giggles. Brady and I pulled them into the kayak one by one. The six of us barely fit into it, but after Brady and Tanner jumped out and continued swimming, it was all good. Butchy helped me row instead of Brady and we soon arrived at the shore. Robin, Ryan and Sydney ran into the house to get grandpa and some towels. Soaking wet, we returned home. "W-w-what w-was t-t-t-that-t?" Lela was still shivering, like most of us. We were incredibly cold. "I d-don't und-derstan-nd!" I said and shivered a couple of times as I was talking. "Y-you were s-sup-possed to get b-back home!" I continued. "Clearly, the storm has nothing to do with this!" Ryan concluded. "It must be something that was present during both transportations, something that allows them to happen!" Robin contemplated. "T-there w-was no st-torm in our cas-se an-nyway!" Tanner said. "That's our second proof!" Ryan said. "So it isn't the storm and it's not the wave either. Maybe it only works on certain days?" Brady suggested. "What does that mean? Are we never going to return home?" Struts was about to freak out. "Oh, we'll think of something!" I promised. "It seems like you'll be stuck here for some time, though!" Sydney said. I turned to grandpa. "Do you think they could maybe stay at our house?" I asked. "Pleeeasee?" Brady put on the best puppy face he could. "Fine, they can stay!" grandpa surrendered- probably only because he loves Wet Side Story so much. "But this means that we're going to make some strict rules that you have to abide," he added. "Absolutely! We'll abide all of them! I promise we'll behave!" Brady promised. I wondered, how is this going to turn out? "Okay, kids, have fun today and we'll talk about rules tomorrow! Now, where are you going to sleep?" grandpa said. "Someone could sleep on the couch! Actually, there's space for two if we expand it. And I have a double bed in my room, so someone could sleep there with me," I suggested. "I'll sleep there!" Giggles raised her hand. "Can Tanner and I have the couch?" Lela asked. "Oh no, you can't! Lela, I'll sleep with you on the couch, Tanner can sleep somewhere else!" Butchy ranted. Lela and Tanner held each other's hands and let go, as if they were saying goodbye. "I have another couch in my room. Who wants to sleep there?" I continued. "Struts, maybe you?" Brady encouraged her. "On a couch?" Struts looked at him as if he was crazy. "Look, we don't have much to chose from here. This is not a time for you to be picky," I told her. "Fine, if I have to!" she surrendered. "Seacat and Tanner still don't have a place to sleep!" Brady remarked. I tried to think of something. I hoped we could avoid solving this problem with sleeping bags, because they're not really comfortable. "Grandpa, what do you think?" I asked. "I think a have a few matrasses in the attic. Could you go check?" he said. "Better than sleeping bags!" I thought and nodded to grandpa. I took a ladder and placed it under the door that leaded to the attic. I always avoided it, because it creaked when you stepped on it. Our attic was quite abandoned-looking and we didn't have a lot of stuff in it, so it looked empty. I had to bend as I walked around, because the celling was very low. I crawled to the place where I remembered we had three matrasses. I took two and carried them to the living room. Grandpa brought some sheets and pillows for them and Brady expanded the couch. "Well, we should get going. Ugh, what are we going to tell our parents? We were absent for, like, three hours!" Ryan said. "We'll think of something!" Robin calmed her down. "If you want to, you can come visit tomorrow morning. I think we'll need some help here," I suggested. They said goodbye and left then. "All done!" Brady said as he came out of my bedroom. "Great!" I said. Grandpa tried to calm the Wet Side Story crew. Struts was super grumpy, because she had to sleep on the couch. Giggles was convinced it was okay to jump on the bed and Butchy was just grumbling. Brady opened the door and stepped out of the house. "See you tomorrow!" he said. I stepped closer to him and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for the help," I thanked him. "No problem!" he said, smiling. "Night," I said and stepped back into the house. "Good night, Mack," he replied and left. I closed the door and quickly changed into my PJs, forgetting to brush my teeth. I wished grandpa a good night and returned to my bedroom. Struts was already asleep on the couch that she so deeply hated just a minute ago, but Giggles was still awake. "Nobody has changed into their pajamas!" she remarked. "I know, Giggles, but you don't have them with you," I replied and got into the bed. "You didn't remove your makeup?" I asked. "What are you talking about? Makeup always disappears by itself!" she laughed at my question. "You see, here- in 2017- that doesn't happen. OK, then, sleep like this tonight, but starting tomorrow you'll have to remove your makeup before you go to bed," I explained. "You mean, every day?" she was surprised. "Every day!" I confirmed. "The future is so weird!" Giggles said, still sitting. "Aren't you gonna sleep?" I asked. "Oh, I will. I'm just thinking. It feels like I'm not tired at all, since so many things have happened!" she replied. "Are we ever going to get home?" she asked then. "Giggles, believe me when I say that I'll do anything to make that happen! Brady too. I promise!" I told her. She nodded and finally laid down. "Night-night, Mack!" she said. I giggled at her expression and copied: "Night-night, Giggles!".

* * *

**So I feel like this chapter is a bit long... Is it? Or is it too short? I don't know, I'm kinda new to actually posting my fanfictions online, so tell me if you'd like longer or shorter chapters. If anyone is actually reading this... I hope someone is...** **Anyway- review, please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry I didn't upload in a long time and I know that no one likes an author that rarely updates stories so I'm gonna try to avoid that mistake in the future. Oh, and I'm trying to get the hang of this paragraphs thing, so I hope that improves my fanfiction :)**

* * *

I was at breakfast, thoughtfully staring at a ham and cheese sandwich, which I had no intentions to eat at that moment. Trying to remember yesterday, I was still unsure was it reality or was it just full moon tonight. I was sure that my parents were mad about me not being home, though. I still thought I had to try something. "Mom, can I go to Mack's today?" I asked carefully.

"I don't know, Sydney. You got home pretty late last night," she replied strictly.

"But moooom!" I kept on trying.

"Why were you at her house at such late hour? You weren't at some crazy party, were you?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, there was no party! She had some unexpected guests and I helped her to prepare everything for their stay, alright?" I replied. "I promise, that was just one time!" I added.

"Fine, you can go today, but if this ever repeats…" she warned me.

"Thanks, mom!" I quickly gave her a hug and rushed to the door.

"Oh, you meant now?" she asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah, now!" I replied as I put on my sandals. I said goodbye and went to visit Robin and Ryan.

"Hey, we were just about to visit Mack. You?" Ryan, who opened the door, asked.

"Same. I'll wait for you guys," I replied. Robin soon appeared and was apparently trying to find her shoes.

"It doesn't matter which ones you wear!" Ryan told her.

"Yeah, it does!" Robin snapped at her. Meanwhile, she decided to wear white gladiator shoes. "Ok, let's go," she said.

"Hey, did the Wet Side Story cast pop up at Mack's house yesterday or did I have a crazy dream?" I asked as we walked.

"No, why would you?" Ryan asked.

"There was no Rascal, DUH!" I said.

"Right!" she remembered.

"Hey, Lugnut wasn't there either!" she discovered cheerfully. "And who else?" she continued to think.

"Cheechee and Kiki!" Robin replied quickly.

"Of course!" Ryan said. I still remembered Cheechee vaguely. However, I had no idea who Kiki was.

"We're heeereee!" Robin sang and knocked on the door. Mack opened it.

"Come in, come in!" she said cheerfully.

"You seem to be in a great mood. They didn't cause any problems tonight?" Ryan asked.

"No, not at all," Mack replied. "They're already up and having breakfast. I gave them cereal which totally amazed them," she explained. They were sitting at the table, stuffing their faces with food. Tanner was so happy that he was even singing a song! "Hi, Brady!" I greeted him.

"Hi, girls!" he said.

"So, Struts, how did you sleep on that couch?" I asked.

"Well, I guess it was okay," she admitted.

"This food is shaped like circles!" Seacat discovered.

"Yeah, try it! It tastes like honey!" Giggles said. Seacat was looking at his bowl suspiciously. He was the only one not seized by the cereal.

Brady stretched his arms and yawned. "Ah, what a peaceful morning it is today!" he said. Perfect timing- at that moment we were all interrupted by loud noises coming from outside.

"Oh yeah, peaceful," I said sarcastically. Someone was shouting and grumbling somewhere in front of the house. Mack opened the door and we rushed over to see what's going on. Four silhouettes were crawling out of the ocean and stumbling over branches and rocks.

"Idiots! Look what you've done- we didn't get anywhere, it's all the same it was before. Oh, right, except that we're soaking wet!" one of them yelled.

"We might be soaking wet, but we made a progress!" a female voice exclaimed.

"NO, we didn't!" when the third person spoke up, we all looked at each other. We recognized her- definitely!

"Look, it's Big Momma's!" the fourth one pointed in our direction.

"That doesn't say Big Momma's, it says Big Poppa's!" the recognizable squealing voice spoke again. Lela surged through the crowd and ran towards those four people. "Cheechee, Lugnut, Rascal!" she called out.

"And KIKI!" a brunette added. Well, seems like that's Kiki.

"Wait, move aside, move!" Butchy pushed the others aside to get to the door. He ran towards his sister and the other four.

"Lugnut, Cheechee! You have seaweed all over you! Get that off, I can't be seen with you people looking like that!" he shouted at the two bikers that obeyed quietly. Cheechee did do a mocking impression of him as he turned around, but didn't dare to say anything. In the meanwhile, Lela was explaining something to the others and just a moment later, Rascal fastened his eyes upon me.

"Sydney, my love! You're here!" he exclaimed, running towards me. Oh, great.

"Someone hide me!" I said.

"But Sydney- then your beloved Rascal couldn't see you!" Ryan joked, pushing me out of the house- even closer to Rascal.

He stopped, completely out of breath and of course did his signature eyebrow dance. "I know you missed me!" he said.

"Sure," I replied coldly and pushed him away.

"Come on, you can't act like that!" he wouldn't surrender.

"I'm sorry, Rascal, but I just don't feel that way about you!" I said, trying not to sound too harsh.

"Not yet…" he replied 'mysteriously'.

"Ok, ok, we'll have plenty of time to talk later. Now we have to take care of you guys," Mack said, inviting Rascal, Kiki, Cheechee and Lugnut to come in. Seeing that, her grandpa simply sighed and miserably nodded his head.

* * *

Ryan's P.O.V.

When I saw Butchy yesterday, I knew my life would suddenly become more interesting again. Guess how I felt when I realized, Lugnut is going to stay here all summer as well. Seriously, does everything always have to go wrong? Is perfect really so impossible? And last of all- why, life, WHY? "Hi, Ryan," he said that blankly. Angrily, even. But certainly not the way he used to before. He wasn't relentless or annoying. He was mad- mad at me and at Butchy. He said it was all OK, but now I knew it wasn't. I felt guilty because of his behavior and I couldn't be happy about Butchy and I spending the rest of the summer together. In short, he was spoiling my fun. But there was this weird thing about him- besides the anger, I heard a presence of humanness in his voice. As if he wasn't a movie character. While I was in Wet Side Story, I was becoming a movie prop, more than a human as time passed by. Could the same thing, just reversed, be happening to him? Did this start happening when I involved him in everyday, real-life problems? Did I cause him to feel an emotion more complex than the ones in Wet Side Story? After all, I did dump him for someone he could easily be jealous of. I could only guess, but I knew one thing- his presence was bothering me. I didn't want him to stay.

"WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO STAY IN THE FUTURE!?" Kiki's yelling interrupted my thinking.

"Only for a little while, calm down!" Mack said. I have no idea what's the deal with this character. You see, Kiki doesn't have many lines in the movie, but all of those she has are some sort of an exclamation. Probably just to show how enthusiastic she is. I'm guessing that she can't speak in any other way now that she's in the real world.

"Okay, do they know everything now?" Mack's grandpa asked.

"Everything clear?" Mack asked the Wet Side Story gang. I think she is slowly turning into a first grade teacher, she's been acting like one lately.

"As clear as day!" Tanner said victoriously.

"No, Tanner, I know it's clear to you- I've already explained this to you yesterday," she explained.

"Ooooh… I thought it sounded familiar!" he smiled dumbly. Ha ha, he looks so lost and confused.

"Time for rules!" Mack's grandpa said. He started talking about different rules, like not leaving the house alone or using the new technology. They were mostly just nodding. Kiki sometimes shouted out something. Man, that girl loves to yell. Lugnut didn't seem to listen at all, Butchy was distracted by something else. Lela was, as usually, just quietly sitting and listening. Then, Mack's grandpa seemed to remember something important. He excused himself and told us, the 'real' people, to step into his room for a moment.

"You know, I remembered something," he started. "You probably won't be able to keep them locked in here forever, right? Especially not the one over there," he opened the door and pointed to Kiki who was beating up Rascal with a pillow for unknown reasons.

"No, of course not. We were meaning to take them surfing of something," Brady said.

"Yes, but you won't be able to stop them from interacting with other people," Mack's grandpa continued.

"No, probably not. But they'll get used to the new stuff eventually, they already know a lot. Plus, I told them not to talk to much about themselves if they talk with someone," Mack said.

"That's all nice, Mack, but they are going to recognize them," he said that, causing all of us to panic.

"Ok, ok- let's tell them their names are too sixties and that they have to change them. Problem solved!" Brady suggested.

"Yes, you certainly have to change their names. But it's the looks that I'm talking about. First of all, they're wearing movie clothes- it will look weird. Second, they'll be too recognizable," Mack's grandpa finished.

I looked at Robin. Yeah, we had the same idea. Makeover!


	4. Chapter 4

It was super hard to convince Brady to agree to this, but we are having MAKEOVERS! We'll meet at Mack's house in about half an hour and everyone has to bring some useful things we might need. We'll have to sacrifice some of our clothing, because we can't buy it. Luckily, mum brought some old clothes Ryan and I used to wear not long ago but can't anymore, because they're a bit too small for us now. We were going to give them to our friends to check if they find something they like, since they wear clothes that are a few size smaller than Ryan and I do. I had an idea to tell mum we decided to take these clothes to a charity instead and then take them to Mack's. Also, Ryan said we might need a curling iron, so she packed that as well. Of course, she already packed her makeup bag.

"Are we ready?" I asked, looking at our 'makeover essentials'.

"I think we are," Ryan decided. "Mum, we're going to Mack's house!" she yelled.

"Okaaay!" mum replied. Both of us took one bag with clothes and one smaller bag with hair and makeup tools and then we left. We were exchanging ideas on our way. When we arrived we already had everyone's look figured out in our heads. We knocked on the door and Mack let us in.

"I already put all of my clothes here. Brady brought something, too. I'm a little worried for the guys, though. I'm not sure if we're gonna have enough clothes for them. Oh! I just had a great idea!" she said and ran away. In the meanwhile, Brady brought his pile of clothes to the table.

"Is this gonna be enough?" he asked. The pile looked tiny compared to what Ryan, Mack and I brought. "Why am I even asking? Of course it's not enough!" he put the pile on the table disappointedly.

"What can we do? You tried. Plus, you can't just give away all of your clothes!" I consoled him. He sighed and then he doorbell rang.

"That must be Sydney," Brady said and went to open the door. Sydney tried to wave, but it made her drop most of the clothes she carried, so she simply said 'hi'.

"It's not much, but I still think it's pretty good," she said and put her pile of clothes on the table. Mack rushed into the dinning room with a bunch of rags.

"What do you have there?" Sydney asked. "I remembered that my cousin- well, second cousin- once left a whole bunch of stuff here while visiting. He forgot his suitcase and never came back. He did, actually, but all the clothes were too small for him then, because he was 24. He was 17 when he wore this and I thought some of this stuff could be used for the makeover," Mack explained and showed us some T-shirts and jeans.

"That's all nice and stuff, Mack, but it's a little… retro," I commented.

"Retro?" Brady asked.

"You know, like from around the year 2000?" I explained.

"But, hey, some stuff looks pretty modern to me!" Ryan said.

"Well, I'll go get the Wet Side Story people. Ha, I told them we have a surprise for them!" Mack laughed and went to get them. While she was gone we arranged the clothes into categories- tops one pile, bottoms other. We heard Kiki asking: "What is this SURPRISE?!". Mack told her she'll see, but Kiki didn't even listen. They all sat down (most of them on the floor) and we gathered in front of them.

"So, as I said, we have a surprise for you-" Mack started.

"SURPRISE!" Kiki shouted out.

"COWABUNGA!" Tanner and Rascal added.

"Yes, cowabunga," Mack repeated with no enthusiasm.

"In short, since you're currently in the future, you're not looking very fashion forward… at all," Brady continued.

"Therefore, we will give you… MAKEOVERS!" I announced. The girls clapped and cheered, the boys looked far less happy.

"Yeah, I know you guys don't wanna do this, but you really don't fit into the 21. century with these clothes!" Ryan explained.

"You also have to change names," Mack added.

"Why?" Seacat asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong with our names?!" Cheechee half-threatened us.

"Nothing- it's just that we don't use your names very often nowadays. Practically no one today is called Tanner or Giggles or Struts," Sydney lied, especially about Tanner.

"Yeah, that's why!" I joined her. Everyone became kind of grumpy.

"Oh, come on, guys! This doesn't mean that those are going to be your new names! To us, you'll always be Tanner, Giggles, Struts and so on. This is just in case you're talking to someone and you want to introduce yourselves," Brady explained.

"But what if we can't think of any names at that moment?" Giggles asked.

"Don't worry, this is why we're having this conversation now. We'll give each one of you a name that you'll remember in case you ever have to use it. Maybe you'll never even be in a situation where you'll have to introduce yourself!" Mack continued.

"Ok, we're taking suggestions now. Let's start with Lela!" Brady said and clapped his hands.

"Oh, can I have a pretty name?" she asked.

"Of course it will be a pretty name!" Mack assured her.

"Well, what would you like?" I asked her.

"I don't know, I don't know any names… I know, I know! Kiki!" Lela said.

"No, no- It can't be from We- I mean, from the sixties," Sydney almost said Wet Side Story, but luckily saved it in the end.

"Okay then. I'd like Robin to pick my name," Lela said. I thought it was really cute how she asked me for advice.

"What do you think of Lily?" I suggested. Lela was about to clap in response, but Ryan was faster.

"Sounds too much like Lela," she reminded me.

"Ah, right, that wouldn't be good," I said.

"How about Victoria?" Sydney suggested.

"Oh, Victoria sounds great!" Lela said.

"Wait- let me go write this down somewhere…" Mack said and left. She returned with a notebook and a pencil. "Proceed," she said.

"Tanner's next," Ryan announced. Tanner was looked at us with enthusiasm.

"He could be Jason! That's a pretty popular name today," Brady said.

"Or Mason," he said, examining Tanner's face. "It suits him better," he explained then. I tried to imagine him as Mason, too.

"Yup, Mason's great," I agreed. "I think Kiki could be Stella!" I said.

"I thought she could be Stacey," Ryan looked at Kiki. "Doesn't she look like a Stacey?" she asked.

"Maybe she could be Macy!" I suggested. Mack said we can decided on that later. We went back to picking names for the others. Giggles soon became Mandy and Seacat Cory. Cheechee took us some time because she rejected every suggestion. Finally she agreed to Gwen. We decided that Struts would be Erica and Butchy Greg. We had some trouble with Lugnut, but he ended up being Zack. We had the most problems with Rascal, though. Unlike Kiki who had three awesome names to choose from, we couldn't think of one good name for Rascal.

"James?" Sydney suggested. We all said "NO".

"Nick?" Ryan said. "No" again.

"What about Mike?" Mack's suggestion was rejected as well.

Luke- no, Jake- no, Dylan- no, Alan- no. Rascal just looked at us, confusingly, while the others were bored to death.

"He can be Andy!" Brady ended our suffering with this simple suggestion. We finally all agreed, so Rascal became Andy.

"Excuse me, but WHAT'S MY NAME?" Kiki asked loudly.

"I vote for Macy!" Sydney said.

"I think Stella's better!" Brady disagreed.

"Let's mix Macy and Stella and see what do we get?" I half-joked.

"Are you serious? We'll get something stupid!" Mack said.

"Not, true, we get Stacey. That doesn't solve the problem, though!" Ryan said.

"Let Kiki decide!" Brady suggested.

"What are the options?" she asked.

"Macy, Stella and Stacey," Mack reminded her.

"STACEY!" Kiki exclaimed and then danced.

"Calm down!" Makc said. "We still need to change your looks," she continued.

"Mack, you do my makeover!" Giggles said and hopped over to where Mack was.

"Okay, Giggles," she replied.

"I can do Lela's. I think she'll like my taste in fashion, she's more of a romantic type and that's my stile, too," I suggested and Lela, naturally, nodded.

"I'll do Cheechee's makeover!" Sydney volunteered.

"I have lots of ideas for Kiki's and Struts' look!" Ryan added.

"Well, that's it for the girls. Brady, can you do the boys' makeovers?" Mack asked. Brady sent her the most desperate look I have ever seen. "You're a guy- you know best!" she said.

"Ok!" he said. The boys stayed with him in the kitchen, a.k.a. the living room, and us- girls- went to Mack's bedroom. I made Lela sit down on the couch.

"Ok, now we have to come up with a look completely different from who you are now, but still something that will be you and will make you feel comfortable in your clothes," I told her- she just stared at me and nodded every now and then. "Your hair is curly to wavy now. Would you mind if I straightened them?" I asked.

"What with?" she wanted to know.

"With this!" I said and waved with a straightening iron. "This is a straightener! It straightens your hair with heat. You just have to watch out a bit, so you don't get burned," I warned her.

"Alright," she said. I started styling her hair. It was a lot of work, since her hair is pretty long and thick. But the end result was worth it. Lela looked quite different with this little change. Then I helped her to remove her makeup. Of course, she had no idea how to do that. When she had no makeup on I discovered she didn't look much different. Therefore I decided to do her makeup in a less natural style. She ended up with nude lips, a touch of blush, quite a lot of mascara and a pretty intense brown eyeshadow. She looked different, but not too different. Just right, she said so herself. Then I showed her all the clothes we managed to get. She was surprised when I showed her a pair of jeans.

"I didn't know I was allowed to wear them. And they're a bit weird- why is the waist so low?" she commented.

"Oh, that's been modern for some time now," I explained. I tried to talk her out of wearing a dress. I would resemble her Wet Side Story look too much. In the end, we decided on a skirt. She chose a white one that I then matched with a purple top and beige flats.

"Can I have this as well? I love headbands!" Lela explained this to me with a white headband with a flower on it in her hands.

"Okay," I replied.

She put it on her head and looked in the mirror. "I look so pretty! Thanks for your help!" she said, holding her face. She hugged me and then spun in front of the mirror.

I decided to check how are the others doing. Mack was currently curling Giggles' hair. That must have been a big change for her, since her hair is always perfectly straight in the movie. Sydney, on the other hand, didn't even start with Cheechee's makeover.

"You don't look bad!" she said to the bathroom door.

"Yes, I do! My hair is stuck to my head and I'm not even wearing makeup!" Cheechee yelled back.

"Hey, are you done with Lela?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Well, I've already done Struts' makeover, but I need some help with Kiki. She's a bit…" she took a few steps away from her and pulled me with her. "… unstable," she whispered.

"I see," I said while examining Kiki who was spinning on a spinning chair.

"What is this?" she grabbed the straightener.

"No, Kiki, NO!" Ryan screamed and pulled the dangerous object away from her.

"Maybe you could dye her hair?" I suggested.

"We have hair dye?" she asked.

"Yeah, Mack brought it," I said.

"Mack, you have hair dye?" Ryan asked Mack.

"Yes, just a second. Hold this," she said and gave her the curling iron. "Here you go. You can use it, I won't need it," she explained when she returned from the bathroom with the hair dye.

"Thanks," Ryan said.

"What's with up Cheechee, by the way?" Mack asked.

"She doesn't want to come out of the bathroom," I explained.

"She looks totally different, I barely recognized her," she added and got back to work.

"Gimme that!" I took the hair dye out of my sister's hands. "This is almost orange!" I said.

"Yeah, but I think it would suite her. What do you think?" She asked me.

"Meh, it will be just a lighter brown on her, anyway," I shrugged. We started dying her hair. For the first time in our lives.

"We have no idea how to do this!" she said after half an hour.

"Just stick to the instruction manual and it'll be fine," I replied and went on. We kept Kiki busy with a magazine.

* * *

**Sorry for the weird chapter ending... It didn't originally end like this, but the thing is that I wrote the original story in a different language and started translating it to English after I decided to post it on and this is where I stopped, so I thought I'd just post what I have. **

** Oh, and BTW, if you're reading my story I would appreciate a review so I know that I have readers to keep updating the story for :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, here's part 2 of the previous chapter. For those of you that don't know- this is still Robin's p.o.v.! BTW, I wanted to ask this- is the fact that a female character is named Ryan confusing? Because I wasn't sure about it, some people don't like girls having boy names. I like it, but yeah... **

** Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"Okay, we'll leave this now and come back later to tell her to go wash her hair," Ryan said.

"Who's gonna wash her hair?!" Kiki questioned.

I sometimes wonder if she's drunk.

"Where's Struts?" I ignored Kiki's exclamation and asked.

Ryan looked around the room. "Look, she's by that big mirror. Hey, Struts! Stand up so Robin can see you!" she said. Struts got up and spun like a model. She wore jean shorts and a white T-shirt with a peace sign in the middle. Ryan apparently even cut her hair, because it now fell only slightly over her shoulders. It was loosely curled, wavy actually. Her makeup was a bit stronger than Lela. She had smoky eyes, a pink gloss and a pretty contoured face. But there was something else. I wasn't sure what it was in the beginning, but I knew now.

"What did you do to her brows?"

"I made them thicker with this dark eyebrow pencil. What, it doesn't look good?" Ryan worried.

"Well, it's a big change, but it kinda suits her!" I decided. "When is Kiki's hair done?"

"In… ten minutes," Ryan looked at the clock. "Should we go help Sydney in the meanwhile?"

"Yeah, I think she needs some help!" I agreed.

"Oh, come on! Get out of there already!" Sydney was desperately supporting her head with her hands while she was waiting in front of the bathroom. Ryan didn't hesitate, she slammed the door open.

"Cheechee, that was enough drama! Get out!"

"NO!" Cheechee snapped.

Ryan and I had no other choice but to drag her out of the bathroom. Because the floor was still wet with drops of water, Mack's pajama that Cheechee was currently wearing ended up soaked.

"Great," Mack commented sarcastically.

"Sit here!" Sydney demanded. Cheechee sat down angrily.

"Wow, you were in there for so long, your hair dried on its own!" I laughed.

Then we prepared the curling iron, the comb and a bunch of bobby pins and got to work. We decided to go with the modern version of pin curling, where you curl a strand of hair with the curling iron and pin it in place until it cools off. Cheechee had pretty intense curls when we were done, but we brushed trough them and it looked better then. Ryan did her makeup in natural colors, because that was the exact opposite of Cheechee's movie look. When we showed her different tops, jeans and dresses, she complained, but she still liked her final look. We picked out a yellow summer dress and black gladiator sandals.

Mack was done with Giggles's makeover, too. As I mentioned before, her hair was curled- she had the Taylor Swift curles- and she wore a navy blue and red dress with brown sandals. Her makeup was simple.

"Robin! We forgot about Kiki!" Ryan said. We rushed over to her and told her to go wash her hair, which was something new for her so she flooded the entire bathroom.

After we blow-dried her hair, we straightened them.

"Did you cut her hair too?" I asked.

"Sorry, I may have overdone the whole hair cutting thing! But I had to, her hair was so ridiculously long!" she replied as she was finishing Kiki's makeup. She ended up with medium length, straightened, light brown hair and more or less natural makeup- OK, except the thick eyeliner and some shimmer on the eyelids.

When I looked at all the Wet Side Story girls I could proudly say that we've done a good job.

* * *

BRADY'S P.O.V.

When the girls made me do this 'makeover' thing, I wanted to hang myself. But, to be honest, I kinda liked it in the end. I think I did a good job. Maybe I could be a fashion designer…

"BRAAADY! Are you done?" Mack's head popped up from the bedroom door.

"Yes, and I think you'll be proud."

"That's nice. We're done, too. We'll bring the girls in now and you bring in the guys."

I went to the kitchen where Rascal, Seacat and Butchy were waiting.

"Ready to see the girls? They've finished with their makeovers, so we'll meet in the living room," I said.

They followed me. While we sat down on the couch, the girls walked in. They strutted to the middle of the room to show off their new outfits.

"Giggles, you look totally different!" Seacat exclaimed.

"You don't like it?" the blonde asked.

"Oh, no, it's not that! Actually, I think you look beautiful!"

Giggles blushed.

"Hey, is this everybody?" Robin asked. "No, it isn't!" she realized.

"You're right! Where are Tanner and Lugnut?" Mack asked.

"I think they're still changing. It took me a looong time to do their hair. Why do they have to wear so much hair gel? Please don't ever make me play the hairdresser again!" I begged.

"What are you talking about? You did and awesome job. I mean, look at Seacat- he looks so much different than he did before!"

I looked at Seacat again. I made him wear a bandana to hide his huge hair. He said it looked girly. Maybe it did- but, hey, at least it was a black bandana! Plus, I couldn't cut his hair, I'm not a professional! If I did, he'd probably end up bald.

"How do I look, Sydney?" Rascal asked. She tried to ignore him. "You know, I have the same haircut as your favorite singer now! I don't remember his name anymore…"

"Zayn," I helped him.

"No you don't. And how do you know who's my favorite singer?" she rejected him.

"Brady told me that Mack told him!"

Sydney sent me a poisonous look.

"What? Can't I have a little fun once in a while?" I said. "Admit it, though, you like him much better now, don't you?"

Sydney reached for the nearest pillow, but Tanner luckily walked into the room.

"Sorry I'm late, Brady!" he started, but lost the ability to speak right after, because his eyes met Lela's.

"Wow, you look beautiful!" he said and hugged her.

"You too, Tanner!"

She touched his hair.

"It's so… different!" she discovered. "Soft… How did that happen?"

"Tanner wore a lot of hair gel before," I explained.

"Where's Lugnut?" Mack asked. Tanner sent her a confused look and shrugged.

"I think he's done changing now. He should be here any minute."

"I feel like the biggest looser in the world," Butchy said, while he was apparently trying to get the armchair he was sitting in to swallow him.

"Butchy, you can't wear your leather vest!" I told him- and that must have been for the thousandth time. It was really hard to get him out of his signature 'The Rodents' vest.

"Well, I think you look really good in this," Ryan said and smiled at him. Butchy still didn't change his mind. Even though he was wearing black jeans and a red T-shirt, he thought he looked like a completely different person.

"Come on! Why are you so grumpy?" Ryan asked.

"I want my vest back!"

"Ok, then. I wanted for you guys to get used to your new looks, you know. But I guess it won't be any harm if you wear your vest at home," she went to get it.

"Where the hell is Lugnut?" Sydney was getting mad.

"Yeah! How dares he be late after we put so much into these makeovers! He is SO ruining the 'wow' factor!" Robin said furiously, but we knew she was partly kidding.

"Lugnut? Are you done already?" I yelled.

"Yeah, yeah!" a voice said from the bathroom. Then he finally showed up. I think I really did a good job at every makeover- so did the girls- but Lugnut was the least recognizable. I didn't change that much about him and yet it was really hard to find a connection between the old and the new Lugnut.

"Well, thank god!" Robin waved her hands. And then…

BAM!

I heard a noise behind me, then an exclamation. Ryan was sort of jumping on one leg while holding the other's ankle. The vest she was holding in her hands just a moment ago was now laying on the floor.

"Ha ha ha, I'm OK! I just tripped a little, it's no big deal. Ow…" she was babbling and laughing hysterically in between the words. She left Butchy's vest on the floor.

"Hey, what about this?" he said grumpily and picked it up.

"Sorry," she muttered and limped to the closest chair. She tried to sit on it, but missed the seat and ended up on the floor. "Ahaha, what's wrong with me today?"

Robin and Sydney giggled.

"Ooh, were you enchanted by Lugnut's new look?"

Lugnut sent Robin and angry glance and sat down in the second armchair, while Ryan was picking at her shoes 'casually'.

"Ok…" Sydney commented. Like her, we were all confused. In the past few seconds, a few unexplainable things happened. I suddenly got a feeling that something isn't quite right.

"You know what I think? I think we could all use a little break. I'll go make us snack, it's almost lunch time anyway," Mack interrupted the awkward silence.

"Agreed. I'll help you make sandwiches," I got up and followed her into the kitchen. Mack and I left the others in the living room. The second we were alone I decided to speak up.

"I can't explain it, but something really weird happened in the living room before!"

She shrugged.

"Dunno," she replied as she took some cheese and ham from the fridge.

"How come? Didn't you feel the awkward atmosphere? You can't tell me you didn't!"

"Maybe you're right. We were like in complete silence for a moment,"

"You think we should be worried? Could it be something with, you know, the real world and Wet Side Story?" I whispered the last part.

"Doubt it. I think you're just being a bit paranoid, Brady. But they've only been here for two days, nothing's wrong!" she turned to me as she said that. Then she just turned to the ingredients and started making the sandwiches. "If something really is happening, then it's just something between us. And let's be honest, awkward silences are one of the essential parts of life!"

"I guess you're right, "

I decided to leave the conversation at that. And also that I won't think about what happened before in the living room. At least for now.

"Could you make two more of these while I go get the others?"

"Sure,"

Mack left.

I made two more sandwiches and put the plate on the table. I sat down and watched Mack bring the others in. They were quite again. What caused this?

Then I remembered Mack's words and told myself: _She's right, everything is as it should be!_


	6. Chapter 6

RYAN'S P.O.V.

I'm home, in my bed from which I have a beautiful view of the celling. So beautiful, I've been staring at it for two whole hours. Robin occasionally comes in to ask me a) am I OK or b) would I like to go to the beach. Mum and dad are relaxing on the terrace, unaware of the fact that they haven't seen me for the whole morning. Why not? I don't even know if I'm sure what is the reason. But my mental condition is getting worse and worse by each day. I'm talking about Lugnut here. Yep, Lugnut. And this time I don't mean it as in how he's influencing me and Butchy, but just him. I consider myself a very shallow person for this, but I can't get him out of my head since the makeover. I don't know why- besides the different hairstyle and modern clothes, he's the same as he was before. On the other hand, he is now a new person. And I'm afraid I kinda like this new person. Though I just can't believe how could that be- I never really cared for a guy's looks, I fell for different things like charm and personality. Is what I feel maybe just shock? Am I just surprised because I know now that Lugnut can actually be good-looking? Perhaps even more than just good-looking…

"Ryan! Mack's calling!"

Robin's loud entrance almost threw me out of the bed.

"Could you be more quiet?" I said, trying to get up. "Help!"

She took my hand and pulled me to my feet. I stretched and shook my head.

"Come on!" she said and opened the door. The daylight, which I didn't see since yesterday, blinded me. I walked behind her, to the terrace, where my parents greeted me. Skype was still beeping loudly.

"Um, Robin, I can't be seen like this on a webcam!"

I pointed to myself in my pajamas, a.k.a., so-called-pajamas that are no different from underwear except for the fact that I wear a loose T-shirt over it.

"Oh, right. I'll answer and you go change quickly!"

I rushed to my room and changed into olive green shorts and a white sleeveless top. I combed my hair and temporarily put it into a ponytail. I got back to the computer where Robin and Mack were talking about weather. Yes, WEATHER.

"This was the important thing you called for five minutes to talk about?" I asked.

"Actually, Robin and I were just waiting for you. I have important news. Are you alone?"

We shook our heads.

"Wait a second, we'll move to the bedroom," Robin said and lifted the computer up. She carried it to the bedroom where Mack confided us her problem.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to take care of such a big amount of people for much longer," she said. "There's no problem with the clothes, but there still is food, which we have to buy a three times bigger amount of!"

"Yeah…" I wasn't sure how to reply, really.

"First there was six of them and I thought I could maybe find a way to keep them here. But now four more have joined in and there's TEN of them! Plus, I don't even now where to put them! Lugnut, Rascal and Kiki have to sleep in sleeping bags… Well, Kiki doesn't sleep much anyway… Anyway- we don't have enough food or space to keep them,"

She sort of sounded like a mother trying to explain to their children that they can't keep a stray animal.

"But the fact is- we can't just kick them out," I said.

"Oh, come on. We'll think of something, won't we?" Robin agreed.

Mack sighed.

"You're right, we gotta keep thinking. Err… can we meet at my place?"

"Well, it seems like we won't have lunch anytime soon so- yes," Robin replied.

We said goodbye and ended the conversation. Robin and I talked to our parents and rushed over to Mack's. The last time we went there was two days ago. After the makeover our parents asked us to stay home for a couple of days to do some family bonding stuff. It always ended with mum going to sleep at, like, seven, dad watching some boring movie on his laptop and Robin and I going to our room to watch YouTube videos. But I thought it would be good if I didn't see Lugnut for a few days.

Anyway, we arrived at Mack's. She called Brady and kept the others busy with the TV.

"I called Sydney. She can't come, but it doesn't matter now. We'll try to figure something out now and then I'll just tell her the plan. Hopefully, there'll be a plan, anyway,"

Brady raised his hand.

"I have an idea," he said. "I think it would make it easier for us, if we all got jobs,"

"Okay, that's a good plan. I'm in!" Mack said. Robin and I agreed, too.

"But the beds… We still don't have enough places to sleep for everyone. I mean, sleeping bags are OK for one night, but who knows for how long will they have to stay here?" Mack continued.

"If only we had more mattresses!" Brady said.

"It would be best if they could get jobs too, than we would have more money," I sighed.

"We'll have to find really good jobs and think very frugally," Mack added.

"Except if…" Brady's eyes widened.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"I got an idea! It's a bit impossible to do…" he said.

"So, let us hear it!" Mack said.

"Alright. Just give me a second, I'll have to get home really quickly!"

And he just ran out of the room.

* * *

BRADY'S P.O.V.

I ran as fast as I could. When I got to the front door, I was out of breath and had to sit on a bench in front of our house. I took a few deep breaths and coughed. I stood up slowly and got in.

"Hi mum," I said.

"Brady, why are you so out of breath? I thought you were at Mack's!"

"I'm OK, I just came to get something then I'll run back. Remember that flyer we got this morning?"

"What flyer?"

"Never mind, found it!" I said. "I'm going back now. Bye!" I said and ran back. I stopped the moment I got out of my house. I had to continue by walking. My eyes shifted to the flyer in my hands.

"This would be perfect…" I told myself and read on. The more I thought about it, the more my plan made sense. If only I can get Mack to like it, too.

"Brady!" in that exact moment I saw her standing at the door, waving to me. I ran towards her. She saw the flyer in my hands. "What do you have there?"

"You'll see!"

She sent me a wierded-out look and opened the door.

"Brady's back!" she announced. Ryan, Robin and– to my surprise- Sydney ran out of her room.

"Hey, Sydney. When did you get here?" I asked.

"About a minute ago. Parents changed their mind. Said I could come over anyway,"

I nodded. "Check this out!" I said then, handing over the flyer. "This could be our one and only solution,"

"Summer camp?" Mack couldn't have looked more surprised.

"A REALLY LAME summer camp!" I explained with enthusiasm. For whatever reason, she didn't seem to understand my explanation.

"Brady, I don't understand a thing you're saying. What good is this summer camp for us?"

"Not just any kind of summer-"

Ryan cut me off here.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. A really lame summer camp,"

"No, no! You don't get it- if it's lame it means it's cheap, right?"

They nodded.

"I mean, listen to this- the location of the camp is in Gravity Falls, Oregon in some old cottage that belongs to this guy who is organizing the trip. They'll take care of the food and therefore it ISN'T INCLUDED IN THE PRICE…" I tried to make them see my point.

"I get it- all you have to pay for is the bus ride!" that's all that Mack got from what I just said.

"Yeah, that and for some sightseeing stuff, but it really isn't a lot of money. The point is- this price multiplied by… ten? Ten! This price multiplied by ten isn't that big!"

They started to get it now. "So your plan is to send them off to a summer camp?" Mack asked with interest.

"Yeah. I thought it would be the easiest solution. We get jobs and earn just enough money in about a week. I mean, they'll have a place to sleep and food there!"

"Well… This is actually a really good plan. Another pleasant surprise from you, Brady!" she laughed.

"It's a shame they're leaving already, but I'm OK with this plan!" Robin said.

"I'm a hundred percent OK with this plan!" Sydney agreed, probably having Rascal in mind as she said that.

"I agree with you. I think it's best if we just sign them up now!" Mack said and went to get the phone.

"WAIT A SECOND! When did _I_ agree with this?" Ryan grabbed Mack's wrist.

"Ryan, calm down! Think about it. This is our only option, remember?" Mack said and got out of Ryan's strong grip.

"Please don't call them yet! You can't just sign them up like this. We should think about this again, right?"

"About what?" I asked.

"I mean… I don't know," she said and sighed.

"Look, I know you're sad- I am too- but you have to understand-" Mack started, but was cut off by Ryan's now much happier and prouder sigh.

"I know! I know why we can't send them to the camp!" she was victoriously jumping around.

"Oh, come on!" Robin said.

"They're still not used to the future! They'll accidentally say or do something wrong, you can't really expect them to follow our rules, right?"

Mack sat down.

"That's not true! They'll be OK!" I said, but Mack shook her head.

"No, Brady, I think they won't. Remember when we took them to the beach yesterday?"

I pictured Lela who ignored all of our warnings and started chatting with strangers. She almost started talking about Big Momma's, but luckily, Mack and I stopped her.

Ryan noticed my horrified expression. "See, I was right!"

"We can't leave them alone anywhere, no way…" Mack kept shaking her head.

"True. We can't leave them _alone_, but…" Sydney started.

We exchanged looks. I had a feeling we all knew what was she talking about.


	7. Chapter 7

MACK'S P.O.V.

It feels like it was only a minute ago that I was sitting in the kitchen, talking about the summer camp.

Now I was waiting, with a dishrag in my hands and an apron tied around my waist, for one of the customers to leave their table.

"I still don't really understand how you got all of our parents to let us go spend our holidays in Oregon!" I said with an empty stare fixed upon one of the tables.

"Mack, Mack, Mack… Your habit of not breaking the rules really shows now. You don't even know the simplest tricks!" Brady laughed.

"And the one we used yesterday was?"

"Oh, that's a really useful one! I use it every time I need permission for something. First, you choose the weakest link-"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you see, in order for the trick to work you need several parents. So they convince EACH OTHER to let their children go to a summer camp, for example," he said. "In this case, it was your grandpa. Because he understands the reason we need to get them to a summer camp!"

I nodded.

"When he was convinced, he just had to convince my parents, and when THEY were convinced, they had to convince Ryan and Robin's parents and then-"

I couldn't care less about what he was saying, honestly. "Brady," I cut him off.

"Huh?"

"I think I got the point. Thank you for your explanation,"

"Okay. But wouldn't you like to know about this other trick I use? It's for when I get a bad grade- I like to call it-" he seemed really enthusiastic about it.

"Um, Brady, I'd love to hear about that but I'll have to pass because that couple over there just finished eating and I have work to do!" I managed to slip out of the conversation and ran over to the table. I picked up the plates and carried them into the kitchen. Then I returned to get the cups while Brady cleaned the table. After that we both returned to that corner in the kitchen where we usually spent our time.

"Your turn, Mack!" he said.

"What?"

"New customers. I went last time, now it's your turn!"

"Oooh…" I replied and ran out of the kitchen.

I saw two familiar faces sitting at the table I just recently cleaned up.

"Robin, Sydney! What the hell are you doing here?!" I got angry because I realized they should be at work right now.

"Mackenzie, be nice to the customers!" my boss said.

"I'm sorry. What would you like?" I said in a pretend-nice voice. They ignored my anger.

"I don't know. What are the specialties?" Robin said carelessly.

"Well, I would suggest 'that-you-start-running' and 'you-two-are-in-big-trouble'!"

I crossed my arms.

"We'd like the first one!" Sydney said and started getting up.

"Oh, no, you can't leave before you order something. New rule!" I said and pushed them down to their seats. "Seriously, why aren't you at work?"

"Oh, that's what's bothering you!" Robin said. "Don't worry, we have a break now!"

"Well, you could have mentioned that before you gave my boss the impression I'm a terrible employee!" I said. "Well, what would you like to order, then?"

"One big margherita pizza," Sydney replied.

"Also, do you put a lot of cheese on pizzas here?" Robin asked.

"I don't know, probably?" I replied, confused.

"Well, can you tell them to put less cheese on our pizza then?"

"Alright, you picky people! What do you want to drink?"

"Ice tea," Sydney said.

"Just water," Robin ordered. "Oh, and did you sign us up for the camp?"

"I can't talk right now, I'm at work!"

"Please, just a minute!"

"OK! OK! Just let me take your order to the kitchen first. Then you have to pretend you want to order something else. Understood?"

"Yes!" they nodded.

"Okay," I returned to the kitchen. Before I could get back to them, Brady stopped me.

"Hey, who orders for that long?"

"It was Robin and Sydney. They're on a break,"

"Ha ha, that's why the boss got angry!" he laughed. "_Mackenzie, be nice to the customers_!" he imitated our boss. I laughed.

"Well, I gotta go. The girls want to order something else!" I said and marched over to their table.

"So?" Sydney questioned.

"Yes. This morning. Fifteen places are taken!"

"Oh, that's awesome!" Robin said.

"Well, it's not like there were any complications. We leave in eight days and only three more people have signed up!"

"Brady was right- it is a really lame camp!" Robin commented.

"And, will we have enough money?" Sydney asked.

"Yeah. By the time we have to go we'll have just enough. And if not… Then we'll just add some of our allowances!"

"No, I don't think we have to worry. After all, our parents think we're all going alone, without the entire gang so they'll pay for us," Robin said.

"See? No problems. But there might be if I don't get back in the kitchen…" I said and glanced at my co-worker who was suspiciously watching me behind the counter. "Bye!" I said and ran towards Brady.

"We have to clean that table!" he said and pointed to a table.

"Only eight more days…" I told myself and got back to work.

* * *

BRADY'S P.O.V.

"One thousand... one thousand and thirty, one thousand and fifty…" Mack was counting the money that her and I earned in the last five days. "I have to say that I am surprised. Look at how much we've earned!" she said and put the money in her wallet. "And we still have three days!" she continued, but I wasn't really paying attention. Instead I focused on some boring TV show. "Are you even listening?" she asked and waved her hand in front of my face.

"Hey, I can't see the TV!" I complained.

"Are you seriously interested in this reality show?" she asked as she was looking for the remote.

"It's more interesting than you talking about money, that's for sure!" I replied, still glued to the screen.

"But, Brady, I need you to focus now! We have to discuss some things," she said and turned the TV off.

"Like what? I mean, didn't you just say that we've earned a lot?" I asked and got up from the couch.

"Yes," she replied.

"So? Who cares then!" I said and joined her at the kitchen table.

She sighed and said: "Come on, Brady!".

"Fine, fine! What do we have to discuss?" I asked.

"Well, as I said, we've earned a lot. And by that I mean that we could actually pay for the camp right now," Mack explained.

"That means we can quit our jobs! YES!" I exclaimed victoriously and jumped out of my chair.

"No!" she said.

"No? Well, that stinks!" I said as I sadly sat down.

"It means that we can work for three more days and earn some extra money!" she continued.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I realized that the Wet Side Story characters will probably need some more clothes and other essential equipment like toothbrushes or combs!" she pointed out.

"They don't need that!" I quickly turned down her idea, because I honestly couldn't bear going to work for three more days.

"What do you mean by that?! They haven't washed their teeth since they came here!" she was practically yelling at me.

"But they're movie characters, they don't need to brush their teeth!" I refused to agree with her.

"Yes, as long as they're IN A MOVIE!" she replied.

"I can't believe you're so lazy, Brady! You know that one day you're gonna have to earn your own money, right?" she added.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I quickly replied.

"So do you agree with me now?" she asked. I just nodded. "Good. Then you and I are taking them to the mall today. They're gonna get some more clothes…"

I interrupted her. "Don't forget about toothbrushes!" I laughed.

She looked at me angrily, but I could see her trying to hide a smile. "Ha ha!" she said sarcastically as she was writing something on a piece of paper. "Go get the Wet Side Story crew while I finish the shopping list, will you?" she asked.

"Sure," I replied and got up. I found them outside Mack's home, sitting on beach towels and chatting carelessly. "Hey guys! Time to get back into the house- fun's over," I told them, even though I knew that the girls probably didn't see shopping that way. For them it meant that the fun's about to start.

"What? Why?" Giggles asked with a worried expression on her face.

"We're going shopping!" I replied dramatically.

"Yay!" Lela squealed, while Giggles clapped enthusiastically.

"YEAH! Kiki's gonna go shopping!" Kiki exclaimed loudly, as we were entering Mack's house.

"Yeah, Brady too," I added gloomily and hoped that the whole shopping thing isn't going to take to long.


	8. Chapter 8

SYDNEY's P.O.V.

I woke up early in the morning, but the second I realized what time it is I closed my eyes again. Unfortunately, my phone started ringing after a few moments. I picked it up and saw Robin's name flashing from the screen. I had no idea whatsoever why was she calling me at this time of day, but I answered. "Hello?" I said and yawned.

"Rise and shine!" at that time her voice seemed incredibly loud to me.

"Lower your voice! You scared me!" I responded grumpily as I was slowly getting up.

"Wait- don't tell me you're still in bed!" she seemed very surprised.

"No, I'm actually bungee jumping!" I replied sarcastically.

"Do you know what day is it today?!" Robin asked.

"I… don't know," I said and tried hard to remember. But since it was four a.m. I couldn't get my brain to work correctly. Then, out of nowhere, I remembered. "Right! We're going to that… Whatever the name of that town is!" I exclaimed and quickly rushed into the kitchen.

"Gravity Fools. Ha, ha- just kidding! It's Gravity Falls. Wordplay!" I heard Robin laughter as I was trying to slice the bread using only one hand. "Ha ha, Gravity Fools…" Robin was still amazed by her pun, and apparently, Ryan was too. I could hear her laughing in the background.

"Yeah, that's great and all, but I really gotta hurry up if I don't want the bus to leave without me," I pointed out.

"Right… 'Kay, bye then!" she quickly replied and ended the call. I sat down and started eating. In managed to eat my sandwich in a few seconds. Sure, I almost choked, but I did it! Then I hurried to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and hair. My suitcase was pretty much packed, but I still needed to put the hairbrush, the toothbrush and my slippers in it. When that was done I just had to put on my shoes and a jacket and I was ready to go.

"Finally!" Ryan exclaimed as I was coming out of the house. "Now, let's hurry up before the bus leaves!" she added and we started to walk. We made our first stop at Mack's house. She and the rest of the crew were already nervously waiting for us.

"Where have you guys been?" Mack asked and joined us as we continued to walk.

"Sorry, I kinda forgot to set my alarm clock!" I apologized.

"Well, we still have ten minutes. We should totally be able to get to the nearest bus station in that time!" Brady said while looking at his phone. And luckily, he was right! After ten minutes of fast walking we arrived at the station, where a bald man around fifty years old was impatiently looking around.

"Excuse me, excuse me!" Mack said as we were approaching him. "Are you Mr. Simmons?" she asked politely.

"Yes, yes I am!" the man said with relief.

"Then you must be the fifteen people that signed up for our camp!" he added.

"We are!" Mack replied.

"Mr. Simmons, we're incredibly sorry for being a little late," Brady apologized.

"It's all good. Just get into the bus now, children!" he said nervously. He seemed like quite an insecure person. I had a feeling that he didn't really now what to do with us, but at the same time I was quite convinced that my mum said he was the camp counselor. I just hoped that there are more people that work in the camp- because with this guy in charge we probably won't be doing anything at all for the rest of the summer. While I was walking towards the end of the bus, I tripped over something.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" a black-haired girl with a braid apologized and picked up her backpack from the floor. The backpack- that's what I tripped over!

"It's OK!" I quickly said and looked up. I saw Rascal stretching his hand out to me. I awkwardly grabbed it and got up. "Thanks for the… thanks for the help," I quickly thanked him, avoiding any eye contact.

"You know I'd always help you!" he smiled and sat down on one of the seats. He pointed to the other one, the one next to him.

"Er… no, thanks. I already promised Robin to sit with her!" I said. Robin heard that and quickly sat down next to Kiki. "Oh, that's okay, Sydney! I'll just seat here!" she laughed. "Fine, then I have to sit next to…," I looked around, searching for an empty spot. Horrified, I realized there isn't one.

"See? You have nowhere else to sit!" he grinned.

"I'd be okay just standing here," I said to myself, but sat down next to Rascal anyway. That gave him an exclusive opportunity to show me his eyebrow dance up-close. He kept trying to flirt with me throughout the entire ride, but I ignored him. Well, I did smile once or twice, but that was because I tried to let him down easy. He still didn't get it. For some reason, I am convinced he never will. That reason is probably the fact that he really can't take a hint.

"Sydney, please, let me recite this poem I wrote for you!" he begged.

"Oh, you can do that later,"

"But you look so enchanting now in the morning sun!" he insisted.

"It's almost evening!" I said. "Speaking of evening, I'm a little tired," I realized then. I was going to take a short nap, but I remembered that Rascal might kiss me in my sleep so I decided to stay awake, even though I really needed some rest. Some girls wish they had an admirer. I can honestly say that I don't get them.

* * *

LUGNUT's P.O.V.

The whole bus was asleep. Well, almost. I wasn't. Even though I felt like I haven't slept in a week, I couldn't close my eyes. My thoughts were keeping me awake. I was hopelessly trying to find the reason she doesn't like me. Was it the way I looked or was it my personality? Did I do something wrong? All possible reasons, but which one's the right one? The only thing I knew was that she liked Butchy better. I would honestly rather see her be with a surfer, than with him. Even though I know him for a long time, and he's the leader of the Rodents, I sometimes can't stand him. Everybody thinks he's the coolest person out of all the bikers, but if people saw things the way I do, I'm sure they'd change their minds. We were supposed to be some sort of friends, but he constantly bosses me around like I'm his servant. I guess I deserve it, since I let him. But it seems like he treats everyone else better than he treats me. Plus, I'm sure I am the only one who has to call him 'boss'. Struts and Cheechee both call him by his name, so I don't get why I shouldn't. And there have been so many times when he just simply punched me in the arm, or something of that kind- but, naturally, I couldn't hit him back, because he'd kick me out of the gang. But, believe me, if being a part of it wasn't all I had I would punch Butchy in the face without any doubt! Only now I realize how much I've always wished to do that. I think it's pretty clear now, why I hate seeing him with Ryan. My life seriously couldn't get any worse, even though I'll never admit that to anyone. I guess it's kind of hard to act cool when you're not really feeling like that at all. But I have to, because I am expected to do so.

"I simply can't believe that fifteen people are here on this bus, going to the Gravity Falls camp!" a girl sitting next to me whispered.

"Is that unusual?" I asked.

She blushed and tried to hide behind strands of her hair falling out of a braid. "Oh, it's nothing, I was just talking to myself," she sounded almost as she was trying to apologize.

"Okay…fine," I replied awkwardly, since her reaction surprised me. I didn't want to continue the ride in this awkward silence, so I decided to introduce myself. "Anyway, I'm L-" after that I stopped and quickly fixed my mistake. "I'm Zack," I said.

"I'm Myra," she added, making no eye contact with me.

"So, Myra… Why did you sign up for this camp?" I tried to make a conversation.

"Well, I actually didn't even want to go!" she whispered. "My uncle- he's the camp counselor- made me come, because he thought that I could maybe bring some friends with me and make his camp more popular. But it didn't, of course!" she explained coldly.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because I don't really have friends. I did have two until third grade. That's when they decided I'm not cool enough to be their friend. I don't even care, really. I'm perfectly fine with not having any friends," she replied, looking at the floor. I kinda felt sorry for her, but I didn't surprise me at all. She really seemed incredibly shy. It looked like she's gonna start crying, whenever she spoke. I decided not to bother her anymore and closed my eyes, because I finally managed to push my thoughts aside for a moment. I didn't take me a long time to fall asleep.

After that, pretty much everyone was sleeping for some time until voices woke us up. "Wake up, everybody! We're here!" said a voice I quickly recognized as Mr. Simmons. I could hear a lot of people complaining and yawning after being woken up. I felt the same way about that. When I first entered the bus, I wanted the ride to be over as soon as possible, but now I didn't even want to move. I would be okay with just staying there for about forever, but I got up anyway.

Soon, we were all getting off the bus with our suitcases and backpacks and just quietly waiting for instructions. When I looked around to see where are we exactly, I figured out, that this trip is going to be the most boring thing that's ever happened to me.

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**So, Lugnut's p.o.v... that's new. I decided to add his point of view since he's going to be pretty important for the story and I thought he should tell some of it. Anyway, hope you like this chapter, tomorrow I might post another one! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Please forgive me, but it appears I haven't uploaded this chapter yet. I thought I did, so I started working on the next chapter in the meanwhile and that was already taking me too long and now I'm thinking about how long it actually seemed like I didn't post anything... **

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RYAN's P.O.V.

So, the ride was boring- I had to listen to Butchy constantly talking about motorcycles. What a romantic guy. However, when we arrived at this town, Gravity Falls, things got interesting. Well, at least for me! The second I laid eyes on the mysterious forest we were walking through on our way to the camp, I felt something weird. Like some kind of magic is around me. And since I am a Potterhead, I've always liked feelings like that. You know, some places just seem like they have something supernatural in them- and this is definitely a great example! Gravity Falls… I like the name, too. I wonder is it because there are many falls in it?

"Hey, guess what? I kinda like this place!" Robin said to me as we were walking towards the camp.

"So do I! It's a bit spooky and… mystical! Don't you think so?" I asked with a big smile.

"I totally agree! Now the camp would have to be really terrible to spoil this experience for us!"

"Yeah. Let's just hope it's not. Wow, I am SO moving here one day!" I joked. "What do you think, Sydney?" I asked then. She was suspiciously looking around and almost tripped over a branch.

"It's okay, I guess," she shrugged.

"You don't like it?" Robin asked with disappointment.

"It's freaking me out, this town," she said. "I feel like someone's watching me…"

Two boys overheard our conversation and started laughing.

"You mean like by vampires?" one of them joked.

"Yeah, or maybe werewolves!" the other one suggested and the first one howled. Then they both laughed hysterically. Sydney looked a bit insulted, but just rolled her eyes.

"Wow, there are idiots in America, too!" Robin joked.

Sydney and I giggled.

"Oh, come on! We were just kidding!" said one of the guys.

"It's okay. Anyway, I'm Sydney and these are Robin and Ryan, my friends," she introduced us.

"I'm Walker," said the one who made that joke about werewolves. He had wavy dark hair and small blue eyes, and his smile was quite ridiculously wide.

"And I'm David," said the other one. He was tall and had quite long brown hair and brown eyes.

"How old are you two?" I asked.

"Seventeen!" Walker replied.

"Dude, YOU are seventeen- I'm eighteen!" David objected.

"Just because you'll be eighteen in a week, it doesn't mean you already are! But, anyway, how old are you?" Walker asked us.

"We're fifteen and Ryan's eighteen!" Robin replied.

"But you're taller than her!" Walker pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, she's taller than me and stuff!" I angrily tried to skip this part of the conversation.

"So what?" David asked.

"Well, it's kinda frustrating when your little sis is suddenly taller than you," I explained, while Robin was victoriously grinning behind me.

"WHAT? You two are sisters?!" David asked.

"I know," Robin replied.

"You look nothing alike," Walker agreed.

"We get that a lot," I said. "So, what brought you to this place?"

"Well, this idiot here had an idea about the perfect summer holiday with no parents bothering us, but it didn't end up that well," David explained angrily looking at his friend.

"I tried!" Walker said.

"Well, that was kind of our idea, too. Everyone except you and that shy kid is our crew that we brought along with us here!" Sydney said proudly. I guess it really was kinda cool to be able to say, that we have like 15 people in our crew. It made us look like superstars.

"Yeah, what's the deal with the shy girl anyway?" David asked.

"Don't know. But I think her name's Mary or something like that," I replied while trying to remember the girl's name. "Or was it Maryanne?"

"Myra. It was Myra," a very familiar voice said. Lugnut was walking behind us.

"Oh, hi- er, Zack!" I said as cheerfully as I could, even though I was kinda worried if he's still mad at me. "David, Walker; this is our friend Zack!" I introduced them.

"'Sup," Walker greeted.

Lugnut just nodded and started walking closer to me, which made me feel kind of awkward, so I decided to stare at the ground. "Aren't you gonna hang out with you boyfriend?" he asked me coldly.

"No. I tricked him into leaving me alone," I replied honestly.

Lugnut was shocked, but at the same time he looked a bit more cheerful. "Why?" he asked, smiling slightly.

"Oh, it's just that he talks about motorcycles… A LOT. I mean, I like bikes, but it's not a topic I would like to talk about for ten hours. Especially with my boyfriend," I explained.

"Yeah… I guess he's not really a romantic person," Lugnut replied.

"Oh, I don't expect him to be very romantic at all. But it would be nice if he wouldn't pay attention to bikes more than he does to me," I said. That's been bothering me a lot during the ride, but I soon forgot about it. Now that I brought it up again, it's started to bother me even more. My summer love experience was no longer as perfect as I imagined it. But there is no such thing as a perfect boyfriend, so I guess I'll just have to deal with it. But maybe it would be different with Lugnut… At that point I shook my head rapidly, trying to chase my thought away. "Are you still mad at me?" I asked.

Lugnut stopped walking.

I stopped, too. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he replied after some time and we continued walking. He never answered my question, and I decided to forget about it for now… Just for now.

ROBIN's P.O.V.

After a long walk, we finally arrived at the camp. I must say I imagined it differently. I thought it would look more like those camps from American movies, but it was actually pretty similar to what we had in my country. The so-called-camp was in fact just an old cottage by a filthy looking lake. Not impressive.

"Well, kids, this is it!" Mr. Simmons said and unlocked the door.

We entered the cottage, while the floor was creaking as we stepped on it. It later turned out that the camp owner, Mr. Simmons actually used to live in it, but then moved somewhere else and decided to turn this into a camp. I assumed that the cottage must be at least 60 years old- everything was in a pretty bad condition. The thought that this will be my home for the whole month creeped me out.

"This is where you will be staying. The rooms are upstairs. Mr. Emerson, my assistant- actually, since he'll mostly be the one accompanying you during the camp activities, I could say that he's the real camp counselor! Anyway, Mr. Emerson will now show you your rooms," Mr. Simmons announced.

I looked at Mr. Emerson and realized how very young he is. I assumed he was about 27 or 28 years old! And at this point, I also realized that I barely noticed him during the bus ride. But Struts, on the other hand, seemed to have noticed him very well. I saw her staring at him and twisting a strand of her hair between her fingers. She was smiling dumbly and batting her eyelashes.

"Struts, 'you feeling okay?" I asked her and put my arm on her shoulder sympathetically.

"How old is Mr. Emerson?" was all she said- but also enough for me to put together the whole story. Yup, Struts had a crush on Mr. Emerson.

"Okay, I think I see what's going on…" I said and grabbed Struts's hand, because her new crush was going to show us to our rooms.

"What? Are we supposed to go somewhere?" she asked turning her head around.

"Yeah, upstairs!" I told her and followed Mr. Emerson. Struts could barely walk- she almost seemed drunk! I seriously couldn't understand what did she see on that guy. He wasn't really handsome at all, but they say I'm a bit picky.

"These are your rooms. There are three of them- room A, room B and room C. There's only one bathroom- it's over here- but, if it's necessary, you can also use the one downstairs," Mr. Emerson told us, while pointing to various rooms. "Now, listen up, everyone! I'm going to tell you the room schedule, so pay attention. In room A we have Andy, Brady, Corey, David, Greg, Mason, Walker and Zack. So, all the guys. And in room B we have Gwen, Erica, Myra, Stacey and Sydney. That leaves us room C- Victoria, Mandy, Robin, Ryan and Mack. Rooms B and C, as you will notice later, are a bit smaller than room A," he explained then. We all nodded, but Struts was unable to do anything, so she just blinked a few times.

"Well, that's it for rooms… You don't have any camp activities today, so just take your time to unpack and rest so you'll be ready for tomorrow's trip to the Gravity Falls forest and town center," Mr. Emerson said and left, making Struts miserable.

I took my suitcase and backpack to my room. It looked worse than I expected. While I was standing in the hall, I didn't even realize, that the upstairs is sort of the attic. At least it had that kind of a shape. The beds were okay, I guess, but the wardrobes and the desk, that were in the room, looked as they were going to fall apart any second. I was afraid to even touch anything.

"So this is it?" Mack said while looking around.

"I don't like it. It's scary…" Lela added and pulled her suitcase closer to her.

"Nobody likes it, but we're gonna have to get used to it!" Ryan replied and started unpacking. Lela did the same thing just with a big frown on her face. I opened my suitcase, too. I put all of my clothes into one of the drawers and decided to help Lela and Giggles to unpack.

When we were all done, we visited room B to check, how are the others doing. Struts, as I expected, was sitting on her bed with an empty look in her eyes.

"What's up with YOU?" Ryan asked.

"Who, me?" Struts shook her head in confusion.

"Yes. You," Ryan replied and sat down on her bed.

"It's nothing…" Struts sighed.

"I know that look!" Ryan giggled. "Who is it?"

"You won't believe it- it's Mr. Emerson!" I exclaimed.

"What?! No!" Struts tried to say naturally.

"Yeah it is!"

"Fine, it's him!" she said.

"But Struts, you have, like zero chances with him," Sydney discouraged her. That was completely unnecessary and inappropriate to say.

"Sydney! You don't know that! I mean, he's not that old, you know?" Mack interrupted.

"Yeah- Struts is eighteen and Mr. Emerson is around twenty-seven years old!" I agreed.

"You really think I don't have a chance?" Struts decided not to hear our encouraging comments, and focused on Sydney's.

"No, I didn't really mean it like that. Plus, what do I know?" Sydney explained.

"You have a crush?!" Cheechee joined the conversation. Suddenly, we were all talking about it. Things like how can Struts win her crush over, CAN she win her crush over, how can we find out more about him, etc. And then, we switched that topic to boys. All of us (except for Myra- she's disappeared!) were sitting on the beds and the floor and chatting cheerfully.

"So, Ryan… What's with you and Butchy?" Giggles, well, giggled.

Ryan suddenly looked down.

"Is there something wrong?" Lela asked.

"No, not really," Ryan replied. "Everything is… I don't know, like it's always been,"

"But, Giggles, you and Seacat are in some sort of a relationship, aren't you?" I asked happily, since I always shipped them.

"Yeah… he's such a great guy, really! I think we're perfect for each other- meant to be!" Giggles smiled.

"Meant to be… Does that even have a meaning? I have never felt like I'm meant to be with someone, so why would it even exist then?" Ryan's voice sounded a bit sad as she said that.

"Of course it exists, Ryan! Look at me and Tanner, for example! When I got to know him better, I realized that I'm destined to be with him!" the hopelessly romantic Lela tried to convince her.

"Even I have to agree on that one with Lela and I'm not really into all that destiny stuff. I mean, when Brady and I started dating, I felt that he's really the perfect guy for me!" Mack agreed.

"There are no prefect guys!" Ryan replied.

"No, of course not! But every girl can find a guy, that will be perfect to her. Even if he has a ton of flaws!" Mack said.

"Wait, does that mean that you don't feel like Butchy's the right guy for you?" I interrupted.

"Please don't say that, please! I think you're the perfect girl for my brother!" Lela begged with tears in her eyes. She was very emotional.

"No, no, no! I didn't say that at all… It's just that I'm starting to notice some differences between us and I… I don't know. I guess that, when you talk about your relationships, I feel like Butchy and I aren't really 'meant to be' as you would say. Which, of course, doesn't mean that I'm going to break up with him," Ryan explained.

"Oh," Lela said.

"But you won't tell him that, will you?" Ryan asked us.

"No, of course not!" Lela promised. After that, the conversation sort of ended and we all went to sleep.

I wonder, was my sister being completely honest?

RYAN's P.O.V.

I woke up in a strange room trying to figure out where I am. Soon, I realized that we arrived at the Gravity Falls camp yesterday and that I was currently in one of the bedrooms at the cottage we were staying in. Remembering all that, I couldn't just forget my thoughts about Butchy that I shared with basically everyone. I wasn't sure what to think about it, but I felt like it was a mistake. I shouldn't have mentioned it, because now everyone will be suspicious and maybe they'll even tell Butchy what they heard. Maybe that wouldn't be that bad, though. Seriously, the more I think about him the more I'm seeing the difference between us. He likes to talk about bikes, I like to avoid conversations about vehicles. I like reading, he can barely spell right. He's even quite violent and, naturally, I don't like violence. Now that I think about it I can't even imagine why on earth would I like a guy like that?

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**So this is where I stopped writing for some time... My question is- do YOU have any requests for the story? What would you like to see happen? Do tell!**


	10. Chapter 10

**In this chapter, we pick up from Ryan's P.O.V., where we stopped the last time. Forgive the clumsy beginning, please. It's just as inconvenient as the ending of the last chapter. I explained the reason for that in the previous chapter's author's note. **

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_Now that I think about it I can't even imagine why on earth would I like a guy like that? _

"Get up, girls. It's breakfast time!" Mr. Emerson just showed up at our door.

Great! Now I had to get up early, like my life isn't already bad enough! Ok, maybe I am being a little dramatic, but I do currently have a lot of problems. I have a boyfriend that I don't really like that much and the guy I would rather be with probably hates me, because I hurt his feelings.

"Are you getting up or aren't you?" Robin asked me. Instead of saying anything I just clumsily waved my hands in the air.

"I'll take that as a… What should I take that as?" she asked, helping me get up. I simply shrugged and put on my slippers. She turned away and walked over to her suitcase. I did the same thing.

I decided to wear jeans instead of shorts because it looked like it was cold outside. After trying out hundreds of ways to successfully put them on, I just pulled a red T-shirt out of my suitcase and headed to the bathroom. Naturally, it was taken. Mack soon joined me, so I had someone to chat with while I was waiting for whoever was in the bathroom to come out. It turned out it was Walker. If you ignored the huge circles under his eyes, he looked wide awake, unlike me. My friends and Robin would usually say I look like a bear in the morning. It was all fun and jokes until they starting taking pictures of me in my sleep to prove their point.

Anyway, I locked myself in the bathroom and washed my face first. I still looked half asleep. I brushed my hair and put on mascara, even though I'm not a big fan of putting on makeup early in the morning. Actually, I don't put any makeup on at all very often. Not because I'm against it or I think it doesn't look pretty- on the contrary, I love makeup! But I am lazy, so I sometimes just don't feel like putting it on.

"Hurry up!" I heard my sister knock on the door.

Wondering where did Mack go, I looked at the mirror one more time. I decided I look acceptable now and left the bathroom.

"Finally!" Robin said, entering the bathroom.

I returned to the room to put my hairbrush and mascara into the suitcase, but also to check on others. I realized that Mack went back to the room to help Giggles and Lela who didn't want to get up.

"Not easy waking up this early, huh?" I asked them.

"It's the worst!" Lela complained. Giggles just nodded in agreement while trying to brush her hair.

"I'm afraid I put too much hairspray into her hair yesterday!" Mack explained, helping Giggles.

"I guess she'll have to wear a ponytail today," I suggested handing her a hairband.

"Thanks," Mack said and put Giggles' hair up in a ponytail.

"Hey. I'm done. Let's go downstairs," Robin said, entering the room.

"Just a second!" Lela said, quickly brushed through her hair and followed us downstairs. The small dining room where breakfast was served, was easy to find, because the boys were already there and were making a lot of noise. They were laughing about something that David said.

We decided to sit at a table next to theirs, leaving the one next to Mr. Emerson's and Mr. Simmons' empty. The girls from the other room sat there when they joined us in the dining room. It was actually the best looking room that I've seen in this cottage yet! I was very thankful for that, because nobody wants to eat in a filthy old room. The food was quite good as well.

"I am sooo full!" Mack said, patting her stomach.

"Me too! But I still like that magic cereal we had at your house better!" Giggles said, looking at her.

"Yeah, Giggles, that cereal is not magic," Mack explained.

"Too bad," Giggles said disappointedly.

Then, Mr. Simmons got up and cleared his throat. "Listen up, everyone, please! Today you are going to visit the Gravity Falls forest and the town center. Mr. Emerson will now give you more instructions," he said and sat down.

Now Mr. Emerson got up. "Yes, we are going to visit those places today and you are going to learn a lot about the history of this town. First you have half an hour to rest since you just had breakfast and then we'll meet downstairs, in front of the front door. I would suggest wearing a jacket, because it's quite windy today. Also, I'd recommend you to wear shoes that you can walk in. I'm not saying hiking shoes, just shoes that won't hurt your feet after ten minutes of walking," he told us.

After that, we all rushed to our rooms to make the most of that half an hour we had. Preferably sleep again.

* * *

Lugnut's P.O.V.

Ryan's confession about Butchy might have meant nothing, but it gave me hope. Especially the fact that she confessed it to me. It made me feel like she trusted me. And that was good. A good start, at least. She didn't notice, but I was currently looking at her. I couldn't see her face from where I was standing, or well, walking right now, but I was sure she wasn't smiling. Her sister was joking about something. Mack and Sydney giggled, Ryan just nodded. I assumed she was thinking about Butchy. I just hoped she decides to break up with him eventually. Selfish, I know, but remembering how violent he could get I was also just looking after her. Although, he never really beat up anyone he cared about, so I guess I was still just being selfish. Speaking of Butchy, he just walked over to Ryan and started talking to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. I had to look away. My eyes were fixed upon the forest on the left, so I accidentally stepped on Cheechee's foot.

"Watch it!" she squealed.

"Sorry…" I muttered.

We crossed the road and started walking towards the forest. I looked up and noticed how tall the trees were. And… different. At home we only had palm trees. I didn't even know there are other kinds.

"I don't like this place, the sand is so sticky!" Cheechee frowned.

The ground was something that certainly wasn't sand. It was darker, with a different texture. Kind of like dirt, except it was damp, like somebody mixed it with water. How come I never saw anything like this? Do only beaches have sand and palm trees? Suddenly, I wanted to find out more about Gravity Falls.

"Ok, we're going to stop here. Hopefully you had time to look around while we walked, but I assume you were too busy with other, more important things. Am I right, that group over there? Did you two look up from your cellphones once?"

Mr. Emerson was addressing the two guys, David and the other one whose name I don't remember.

Emerson went on with whatever he needed to say, while Struts dumbly stared at him and pretended to care about the history of Gravity Falls.

I listened to him, but my thoughts were somewhere else and I didn't even know what was he talking about.

If I had a place to go to, I'd leave right now. Anything would be better than having to stay in a pointless camp with the girl I like, watching her hold hands with her boyfriend who I just happen to be the sidekick of.

* * *

ROBIN'S P.O.V.

Mr. Emerson was murdering us all with his two hours long story about the forest we were currently in.

I wanted to talk to Ryan, but her absent-minded gaze made me reconsider. Sydney was also busy- with trying to get rid of Rascal, naturally. Therefore I turned to Lela.

"Hey," I said cheerfully.

"Oh, hi there!" she smiled widely.

"Do you find this interesting? What Mr. Emerson is talking about?" I whispered.

She sighed. "Not really. Is that very wrong?"

"No. Completely normal, in fact."

"My legs are starting to hurt, to be honest," she says, looking at her feet.

"It must be from all the standing. Come on, let's find you something to sit on!"

I carefully dragged Lela away from the crowd and we started walking deeper into the forest.

"Really? No convenient rocks?" I laughed. "Maybe we can find a way out of the forest. Then we should be able to find a bench or something. I'm sure Mr. Emerson won't notice. He really got deep into that story."

We walked for, like, a ten minutes and Lela started complaining.

"If I can't sit down right now, I'll collapse on the floor!"

"You're not really the athletic type, are you?"

She shook her head.

"Neither am I!" I said and raised my hand to high-five her, but she just stared at me.

"Oh. That's called a HIGH FIVE," I explained and took her hand, lifting it up to mine. "You just do this!" I pressed the palm of her left hand to the palm of my right hand. "You gotta learn how to do this- it's really popular now," I explained.

She stared at me blankly. "Let me try!"

I raised my hand again. She high-fived me really lightly and awkwardly. She smiled. "Yay, I learned it!"

"Yay!" I said and laughed.

We kept on walking. We had a lot to talk about because we both liked fashion. She'd talk about vintage fashion and I'd tell her about modern trends. She'd usually e very surprised by the changes.

"Hey! I found a rock!" she squealed and pointed to a big rock next to a tree. She ran towards it. "Ew! There's dirt on it!"

"It's dry dirt, you can just dust it off. You'll change when we get home anyway," I told her.

She tried to put the dirt off with a disgusted look on her face, so I decided to help her.

"What is this?" she asked, pointing to something that showed up under the dirt. I looked at it. It seemed to be some sort of a patter carved into the stone… Like a circle, with something drawn on it. A hand.

"Weird," I said.

Lela looked at the hand on the rock. "It has six fingers," she said, comparing her hand to the one carved into the stone. "But I can still high-five it!" she concluded and pressed her hand against the stone. Something creaked. Lela moved her hand away. I looked closer. The circle with the hand got a darker edge. Like it cracked open. I carefully moved the piece of the rock with the circle away. Under it was a hole the size of it. Which was pretty big, because the circle was too. I could maybe even stand in it.

"What's in there?" Lela asked and looked closely. I pulled her away from the rock.

"Don't get too close, there might be insects in there. Maybe even snakes," I said.

"Can I still sit on the rock?"

"What did I just say?"

"Pleaseee!"

I surrendered. "Fine. But I'll check if there's anything dangerous in there first."

I carefully approached the rock. I put my head close the hole in it and looked. I couldn't see anything, so I decided I'd be daring and put my hand in there, to make sure that there are no snakes. I did that, jumping each time my hand touched the inside of the rock, thinking it's some dead animal. My hand eventually ran across something, but that surely wasn't an animal. It felt like a book, to be honest. My curiosity got the best of me and I pulled the mysterious object out.

"Is that a snake?" Lela gasped.

"No. It's a book. It's not dangerous. Or alive," I explained.

"It died?"

God.

"No. It was never alive. Books are something you read. It's like listening to someone speak, but you don't hear it- you see it," I said, examining the book. It was heavy, thick and definitely old. The covers were scarlet and on the front page, there was the exact same six-fingered hand that I saw on the rock.

I looked at Lela. She already sat down on the edge of the rock. "Are you gonna put it back?" she asked.

"The book? I don't know."

"You should. It doesn't belong to you. Someone might look for it and they won't find it because you took it away. Doesn't that sound wrong?"

Lela was a good person through and through. But very difficult to deal with.

"Look. I get that. But, you see, this book looks very old and it seems that someone wanted to dispose it. You know, since he threw it away in a rock? So I don't think it would be bad to stea- borrow, to BORROW it," I said.

"But if someone hid it, then they didn't want anyone to find it."

"But that's why it's interesting. OK, here's the deal- I'll take it for a day and then I'll put it right here where I found it tomorrow."

"Okay."  
"You think we should return?"

"Okay."

And we returned. As we walked, I put the book in my backpack.

Mr. Emerson was still talking when we got back. Seriously.


End file.
